Carry Me Home Tonight
by mysticmonkey86
Summary: Samchel! AU- Rachel Berry is a cheerleader and Sam Evans seems to be the only one that can see right through her. Can he convince her to quit the girl she's pretending to be and go back to her love of singing? And will they fall in love along the way? Samchel! (RB as a cheerleader is not realistic to her character at all, but I like to mix things up!) Reviews always welcome!
1. Chapter 1

**Carry Me Home Tonight – 1**

Rachel Berry walked through the corridors of Mckinley High feeling unstoppable. Her long brunette hair was in a high pony and she smoothed out her red and white cheerios outfit as she went on her way to the lunch hall.

Even though she had been on the cheerios for over a year, it still didn't feel real. It was like a dream and she was afraid that at any moment, she would wake up. School had been a rough start on her for the first few years, she had never quite seemed to fit in. It didn't help that she had made the mistake of joining the Glee club. It had been social suicide and she was getting slushied in the face every single day. Even though she loved to sing, she had soon come to her senses and left the sinking ship that was the New Directions, ditched the knee-high socks and animal sweaters, and eventually, joined the cheerleading team.

Now she had friends, she had guys chasing her , she was getting top marks in every lesson and she was on top. It felt good.

She grabbed a bottle of water and an apple, then smiled as she spotted her friends at their usual table. She hurried over to join them, sitting herself in between Quinn and Brittany.

"Hey girls. Am I the only one who can't even walk properly after that brutal workout with Coach Sue this morning? Anyone would think we are cheering on the Dallas Cowboys tonight rather than the high school football team, it's ridiculous."

Everyone around her laughed as she bit into her apple.

"It was an extreme session. But we are all recovering with heaps of pasta and you are tucking into an apple. It's hardly going to fill you up Rachel, you need to eat more than that to get your energy back after the work out."

She sighed as everyone stared at her and nodded in agreement with Quinn. She was fed up of this. Every lunch time she had the same lecture from the girls. It wasn't easy for her. She couldn't eat plates full of pasta and stay as slim as them. She would never be as stunning as Quinn or as flexible as Brittany or even as bad ass as Santana, so she had to work at the things she could control.

"Quit it girls, I am not explaining myself again. Besides, I had a big breakfast this morning."

Santana scoffed.

"Let me guess, one grape?"

Rachel rolled her eyes at Santana, choosing to ignore her.

"Anyway, speaking of our little high school football team, have you all heard the latest gossip?"

Brittany had a sneaky smile on her face as she spoke, the type of smile that said she knew they would all want to hear what she had to say.

"Don't keep us in suspense, tell us. Has Puck nearly got another girl pregnant again or something?"

Rachel tried to stifle her giggles at Santana's words, deliberately avoiding looking at Quinn. Last year , she had dated Puck, the most popular guy at the school, and there had been a pregnancy scare. It was funny to look back on now because it all turned into nothing, but at the time it was this huge drama. Quinn however, didn't find the topic funny at all.

Britt leaned forward, eager to share the story.

"Well, you know that dorky little Glee club that Rachel was in when she first started the school?"

Everyone nodded, apart from Rachel, who looked at her bottle of water. Even though she had left the club, she hated people bad mouthing it.

"The guy who's in a wheelchair … that Archie kid."

"You mean Artie." Rachel put Brittany straight, she was offended on his behalf. Artie had always been very nice to her. The least people could do was remember his name. She hoped that the girls weren't about to say something mean about him. Brittany carried on.

"Yeah, that's what I meant… Artie. Well anyway, Puck and some others thought it would be funny to lock him in one of those portable toilets they have on the football grounds, and it sounded hilarious."

Rachel squirmed, feeling uncomfortable in the conversation subject. As much as she loved being a cheerleader and being popular, she never participated in the ridicule of others. She hated it when the girls around her seemed to thrive on the less popular kids misfortunes . It wasn't right.

"Then Sam Evans came along after five minutes and rescued Artie. The whole football team are mad at him now because of it."

Rachel raised an eyebrow , interested in the story. Sam Evans was the quarterback of the football team, and he had always seemed different to the likes of Puck. Sam didn't seem to care about the status football gave him, and even though he had girls throwing themselves at him, he hadn't had a girlfriend since he arrived at the school. But he was still popular, despite his lack of respect for such a social standing. The girls loved him, he was a teachers pet, and the guys all looked up to him. Or at least… they did. From what Brittany had just said, he didn't sound like he was in anyone's good books right now.

Rachel glanced at Quinn to see her reaction to the story. Last year , Quinn had asked Sam to a school dance with her, and he had politely turned her down. It was unheard of. Every boy in school wanted to date Quinn Fabray, so the fact that Sam had blown her off was huge news. She didn't get over the embarrassment of it for months.

Rachel couldn't blame Quinn for trying her luck. Sam was popular with the girls for a reason. He was tall, blonde, blue eyed and had a body to die for. Somebody had managed to snap a topless picture of him once and it went through the school like wild fire.

And his smile was like a dream. One time, when he had been in her English class, she couldn't stop staring at his dimples as he laughed with his friends.

So she could definitely see the attraction in a guy like Sam. But she had never tried anything with him. She wasn't into dating anyone at the moment. She was just enjoying her popularity while she still could, she would concentrate on dating when she was older.

"Why would Sam help Artie out? He's a complete loser!"

Brittany and Santana laughed at Quinn's words, while Rachel sat there picking the label on her bottle, ready to produce a fake smile in case any of them looked at her. Luckily, they ignored her as Britt started talking again.

"And that's not all. After Sam helped Artie out and yelled at Puck for picking on people, he went and joined the Glee club."

It wasn't just Rachel's mouth that fell open in shock at this news.

"Wait…. Sam Evans…. Quarterback of the football team…. Is now in the Glee club?"

Brittany nodded with a grin on her face, still looking delighted to share such a juicy bit of gossip with the gang. Rachel sat back on her chair, trying to take it in. It was unheard of for anyone popular to even talk to the New Directions, let alone join them.

Her heart sunk a little as she remembered the joy she felt performing a song in the choir room. She used to jump at the chance when Mr Schuester , the kind Glee club teacher, offered solo's around. Even though she was unpopular with the rest of the school for being in the club, the people in that choir room had treated her like she was one of them. She seemed to have fit in with them , even if she didn't fit in anywhere else.

She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. It didn't matter. She was much happier now.

The bell rang for lunch and the girls all went off in separate ways for their afternoon lessons . Rachel couldn't stop thinking all afternoon about Sam joining the Glee club. It was a brave thing for him to do. He could lose his whole reputation over it. But maybe he didn't care. When she thought about it, she noticed that whenever Puck and the rest of the jocks were picking on people and throwing them in the garbage, Sam was never around. He obviously felt as uncomfortable as she did when it came to tormenting others.

Curiosity got the better of her as the end of the day bell rang, and she automatically headed for the choir room. She knew the Glee club practiced three times a week, and that today was one of those days. She wanted to see with her own eyes that Sam Evans had joined the club.

She came to the door way and tried to poke her head round without being seen. She frowned as she struggled to see everyone who was in there. All she could see were the people who had been in it for years. Artie, Tina, Mercedes, Mike Chang and Kurt…. But no sign of Sam. She craned her neck to get a better angle.

"Thinking about re-joining the club you abandoned are you?"

She gasped as she spun around to find Sam had been standing behind her. She didn't know how long he had been there. She knew her cheeks were turning pink at being caught out. She shrugged, and self-consciously patted her cheerios uniform down.

"I didn't abandon anything. And no I'm not re-joining."

Sam didn't say anything. He just narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Right now, he was wearing his football jersey, and she could see the bulge of his biceps underneath the material. She gazed up at him, trying not to be intimidated by his height or his looks.

She kept waiting for him to say something , and when she realised he wasn't going to speak, she spoke again.

"I hear you are the new member of the Glee club. Can you even sing?"

He smiled, and ran a hand through his floppy blonde hair.

"Why don't you come in and find out?"

She shook her head, glancing at the choir room in horror.

"No. Just answer the question."

He shrugged, studying her with an amused look on his face.

"No."

She frowned at him.

"No what? No you can't sing or no you're not answering my question?"

He reached out to touch her, and for a second, Rachel thought he was making a move. She sighed in relief as she realised he was just brushing a bit of fluff from her uniform. He smiled again, and rested a hand lightly on her shoulder. Her breath caught as her skin tingled beneath his touch.

"No I'm not answering your question. Come in and see for yourself."

She shook her head again, and he dropped his hand from her shoulder. He looked disappointed now. It was funny really, this was the first conversation she had ever had with Sam Evans, and here they were talking about the high school Glee club as if it were important.

"Look, Rachel…. I know who you are. The whole school knows. You used to be the geeky little girl who loved to sing and got slushied in the face every day. Then you started dressing in clothes more appropriate for a nightclub than school, and started getting the attention you craved. You dropped out of the one club that made you happy and then you really thought you had hit the jackpot and joined the cheerleading team . Now you starve yourself to fit in and keep all your passions locked inside. Here you are today. The perfect example of a girl too scared of her ranking at a dumb high school than doing something she loves. I think it's sad. I think you're sad."

For a moment, Rachel was too stunned to speak. Who the hell did he think he was? His blue eyes never left her face as she struggled to find the right words.

"You…. you…. what? You can't just say things like that. You have no clue what you are talking about. No clue. I don't even know you."

He shrugged again, lazily.

"But I know you. And like I said, it's sad."

She was furious now. He had no right to say things he knew nothing about.

"You are full of bullshit." He raised an eyebrow as she cursed at him, she ignored it and carried on. "You can't say things like that. You are hardly one to talk. If you don't care about social standing then why are you on the football team?"

He chuckled softly.

"Because I love football Rachel. It's my passion. I'm not in the team so I can be popular. I'm in the team because I like it. And you don't look like a girl who loves cheerleading."

She opened her mouth again to say something, but she didn't know what. It made her feel uneasy just how much he knew about her. How could he see right through her when nobody else could?

"Fine, you love football. I get that. But if you are so crazy about doing the things you love , then how come it's taken you this many years to join the Glee club? We are in our last year Sam, you could have joined Glee club when you started at this school if it means so much to you."

He raised an eyebrow again, his gaze was still making her feel uncomfortable. She had never had anyone look at her like that before. It was like he could see inside her soul or something.

"Because I didn't really know if I could sing or not. It was only after I saved Artie from hours of being stuck in a toilet the other day and he begged me to join the Glee club because they are a man down that I really considered it. It turns out, I really enjoyed the first session I went to. Mr Schu said I was really good. He might just say that to everyone , I don't know."

She shook her head almost too quickly, smiling in reassurance despite her anger.

"No, Mr Schu is honest. If he thought you needed work, he would tell you. If he thinks you are good, then you must be good."

He grinned at this, his dimples managing to distract her from the annoyance she still felt at Sam's words. He really was very cute, but a bit of a douche to be talking to her like that. Or maybe he had just touched a raw nerve, she thought to herself.

"Well… I better get in there." He pointed at the choir room. "I don't want to be late when I've only just joined the club. I guess I will see you tonight at the game. I will look out for the group of mean cheerleaders waving their pompoms around and my eyes will immediately be drawn to you. Because you will be the one looking like you would rather be anywhere else in the world."

She shook her head and glared at him, her anger had been steadily rising throughout the conversation, and now she felt like she was about to explode.

"You think you know me, but you don't. You shouldn't just judge people Sam."

For a moment, he looked guilty. He bit his lip in thought, which was just as distracting as his dimples, because he had really nice lips. They were big and full. She bet he would be the best kisser. He looked like the type of guy who really knew how to kiss, not like the other boys at this school who thought it was acceptable to slobber all over girls like a fish.

"Why don't you prove me wrong then?" He gestured to the choir room. "Those people in there would accept you back just like that. No questions asked. I want you to prove me wrong. I don't want to be right about you."

Her mouth felt dry as she gazed into the room. She wanted to walk in, she really did. But she found her feet were glued to the spot she was standing in. She couldn't risk losing everything she had built up at this school. She looked away from him and shook her head.

"I …. I can't."

He sighed, and she looked up at him, wincing at the disappointment on his face.

"You're living a lie Rachel. See you around."

He pushed past her and walked into the choir room.

As she made her way home from school, she couldn't help thinking that everything Sam had said was right.

And she hated him for it.

**A/N - THANKS SO MUCH IF YOU ARE STOPPING BY TO READ THIS! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Carry Me Home Tonight – 2**

As Rachel got ready for the football game she had to cheer tonight, she couldn't help but feel angry. The more she thought about what Sam had said to her, the more it wound her up. She didn't judge him as being a typical jock, so he shouldn't judge her as being a typical cheerleader. She was different. She was more than what he thought she was. And yes, maybe she should have just walked in that choir room to prove him wrong, but…. She couldn't. She had too much to lose.

She had lived her days being endlessly tormented and bullied, and she couldn't go back to that. Was it really so bad to like being popular? It wasn't her fault school had to be this way, so why was Sam Evans the only person who had ever made her feel guilty about it?

She sighed as she perfected her pony and put a slick of lip gloss on. She shouldn't be fretting about it. Before today, she had never even had a conversation with Sam, and after today…. She wanted to go back to how it was. She was more than happy to never say another word to him.

She waited impatiently for Quinn to pick her up. They always took turns in driving. Rachel was a bit of a perfectionist and hated the way Quinn drove. It didn't help that she also had the very dangerous and annoying habit of texting while she was at the wheel. It made Rachel's stomach flip every single time she picked her phone up. She would beg her to concentrate on the road, but the pretty blonde would always laugh it off. In fact, most of the kids at school thought they were untouchable, and it baffled her.

Was Rachel really the only person at a high school with hundreds of people who was aware of all the things that could go wrong in the world? Maybe she was. It was one of the reasons why despite being happy with her social status, she always felt alone.

She knew she was friends with people…. People like Quinn, Britt and Santana, but sometimes, she envied other people. She didn't have any close friends. She would rather eat dirt than tell any of the cheerleading girls her deepest, darkest secrets. There was a time, back when she was in the Glee club, that she thought she could have a best friend.

Kurt Hummel.

She had grown really close to him. They often wiped each other up from yet another slushy in the face, and they would sing these crazy powerhouse duets together that the club would go wild for. He even used to come round for sleepover's, and she would tell him how she dreamed of finding a handsome, charming and most importantly to her …. talented boyfriend, and he would nod along, indulging in all her fantasies , telling her she deserved somebody who would treat her well.

And in turn, he had confessed to her that he was gay. At the time, Rachel was the first person he had ever told. And she was honoured that he had trusted her so much with the secret. She had never told anyone, but eventually Kurt started to come out of his shell and be proud of who he was. By the time Rachel was on the cheerios, Kurt was an out and proud gay man with a kooky sense of style and a supposedly handsome boyfriend from the posh school across town.

She sighed again as she heard Quinn's car pull up. Kurt was a sore subject. She missed him. He begged her not to leave Glee club. He promised her he would help her through the hard days, but she left anyway. She had to. He had not spoken to her since, and every time Rachel saw him , her heart ached a little bit for the best friend she could have had.

She ran outside and climbed in the car, greeting Quinn with a cheery wave.

It didn't take long before Quinn was moaning about the pressures of being head cheerleader. It was usually the case. In fact, Rachel, Britt and Santana quite often took bets on just how long it would take for Quinn to start moaning about her duties. Santana was always threatening to steal her spot as the head if she didn't quit whining.

"As if tonight wasn't going to be dreary enough, Principal Figgins has now decided that the Glee club should perform a song at half time. It's going to be a nightmare Rachel. Everyone will walk out if those losers start wailing, and we will have to cheer to an empty stadium."

Rachel just nodded her head occasionally to show that she was listening while Quinn continued to rant about how bad the Glee club were and how life wasn't fair. Rachel couldn't wait to see the Glee club perform, they never failed to make her smile.

Luckily, she didn't have to put up with Quinn's moaning for long, as they were at the school in no time. They were ushered out to the field, said a quick hello to the other girls, and waited for the football team to walk on.

The crowd went wild as the guys finally walked out, all of them big and strong. They were all carrying their helmets under their arms, and Rachel couldn't tell the difference between any of them. Apart from Sam. Sam stood out. Rachel told herself it was because he had blonde hair, not because she was intentionally looking out for him. Why would she be? Why would she want to use eye energy looking for Sam Evans after the way he had spoken to her earlier?

Her breath caught as his eyes locked with hers. Even now, he still had that same disappointed look on his face from earlier. Quinn nudged her.

"What's wrong with you Rachel? Start cheering , quick. Coach Sue's watching us."

Quinn's words jolted her back into reality and she started doing the routine, but not before she noticed Sam shake his head and turn away from her. Once the routine was over, Rachel glared at Sam furious that he held such a low opinion of her, not that it did any good. He wasn't paying any attention to her what-so-ever, but she could feel the anger from earlier rising again. She had made a few mistakes in the routine, and it was all because of him. All because Sam Evans had shook his head and turned away.

She felt like he had humiliated her, which was ridiculous because nobody else had even witnessed the exchange. The first half of the game got under way and Rachel tried to recover from her embarrassment as she watched from the side lines. Mckinley were in good spirits as their team were winning, and the cheerios kept the crowds entertained while everybody waited for the Glee club to come out on the field and perform a song.

Rachel gasped when the group finally did make their way out, noticing with shock that Sam had changed into jeans and a blue and white checked shirt. She wasn't even sure he was going to be performing tonight since he had to be with the football team, so she watched curiously as he pushed Artie along, then came to a stop once they were in the middle of the pitch. As Mr Schuester introduced the group, Sam glanced at Rachel. He looked nervous. She didn't know why, he was new to the Glee club so they would just make him 'ooo' and 'aaa' in the background, he had nothing to be nervous about.

But she was wrong. She watched as Sam , Tina, and an unfamiliar guy with black hair and an insane amount of hair gel all made their way to the front.

"We are delighted to announce that we have had two new members join the New Directions recently. Blaine Anderson, a former Dalton Academy student has just transferred here."

"Oh my God! Isn't that Kurt's boyfriend? I'm sure I heard his name was Blaine?"

Rachel shrugged at Quinn's question, she had no clue. Although she guessed it was Kurt's boyfriend as she saw both boys smile at each other proudly. She listened as Mr Schu carried on.

"And the quarterback of our football team…. Sam Evans!"

The crowd cheered some more as they were handed microphones. Rachel gasped as the trio launched into the Destiny's Child song, Jumpin Jumpin. She couldn't believe it as the two newbies, Sam and Blaine, danced around Tina like they had been doing it for years. She couldn't really judge Sam's voice on this song, because he was generally mucking around with Blaine and having fun rather than singing, but she could tell he had potential. She noticed Sam's football team mates as he danced around. They were the only ones who weren't happy with the performance, the song had the rest of the crowd up on their feet, dancing and clapping along.

As they finished, Sam ran off to go get back into his football kit, while Blaine, Tina, and the rest of the New Directions performed another song.

After the song, Quinn spotted Kitty on the other side of the field and ran over to speak to her. Kitty was a younger cheerleader, and Rachel just left them to it whenever those two got together. They were awful for bitching about people, and as much as she liked them as separate people, she hated them together.

She sat down on the damp grass, putting her pom poms down next to her. She jumped as Sam ran up from behind and sat down beside her. She had no idea why he was here. She didn't want to talk to him. She looked across the field, trying to ignore him.

"You know… cheerleaders usually cheer people on, they don't stand there glaring at the quarterback throughout the entire first half."

Rachel picked at the grass beside her, still refusing to look at him.

"Maybe if the quarterback wasn't so judgemental and a complete douchebag to cheerleaders, then they would cheer him on."

He laughed, much to her annoyance.

"Being observational is different to being judgemental. Why did it wind you up so much? Because you know I'm right, that's why."

She scoffed and shook her head.

"Trust me, I'm not wound up. Your words didn't bother me in the slightest. Think what you like."

"You keep telling yourself that. But all I see is one seriously mad girl right now because I dared to tell it like it is. You miss Glee club, you hate being a cheerleader, so do something about it. Don't be another statistic. Another person who just wanted to fit in. Be more than that. Be the girl you used to be, the real you."

She stood up and brushed the grass away from her cheerios uniform. She glared at him as he stood with her.

"Why Sam? Why does it bother you so much that I have finally found a place at this school? We have never even spoke to each other before today, and now you've given me two massive lectures in one day. It's not fair, you are being awful to me."

Just like earlier, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. The warmth from his hand radiated through her body.

"Because I used to think you were different Rachel. You were one of the cool ones. It didn't matter how much crap you put up with, you were still yourself. You might have guys after you now, but they don't want you for you. They want you for your popularity. And it doesn't mean shit."

She didn't know what to say to that. She still felt like he was picking on her. In fact, she felt tears at the back of her eyes.

"Wow. So not only have you lectured and insulted me all day, you're now saying that no guy could ever want me for me? Thanks."

She sniffed , trying not to cry in front of him, shook his hand away from her shoulder and started walking away. She gasped as she felt his fingers clasp round her wrist gently, stopping her from going anywhere.

"I didn't mean it like that."

She sighed, and looked into his intense blue eyes. She had never realised before today just how good looking he was.

"Let's just leave it now Sam. OK? Let's go back to never speaking, because you were a lot nicer then. Good luck for the second half."

She tried to walk away again, but he still held her arm.

"I can't believe I'm about to tell you this…. But, well… I…. I used to have a thing for you."

Her mouth fell open as she stared at him in shock. He let go of her arm and ran a hand through his hair. He looked uncomfortable and nervous now.

"You weren't like all the other girls at this place. You cared about stuff. You ran deeper. I nearly asked you out. Then you fucked it all up and became a shallow cheerleader."

She had put up with enough of his crap now.

"Whatever. I don't care. What makes you think I would have said yes to you anyway? If I'm a shallow cheerleader then that makes you an idiot jock. And just so you know,I don't want to join the Glee club again so I can dance around and shake my booty to a Destiny's Child song."

He shrugged, unable to stop the grin on his face.

"You would have said yes... I'm adorable."

She raised an eyebrow, a scornful look on her face.

"You keep telling yourself that."

He gave a deep chuckle, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"You haven't seen my puppy dog eyes yet. And the Destiny's Child thing was fun. I had a riot with Blaine and Tina rehearsing that. Anyway, like you said before, we should just go back to not speaking to each other. It was easier that way."

Even though she barely knew him, the words cut her deep.

"If you hate speaking to me so much then maybe you shouldn't sneak up on me in corridors and sit next to me on football fields."

He chuckled, still looking amused by the whole thing.

"Maybe you shouldn't spy on the Glee club in corridors and throw me dirty looks on football fields, then I would have no reason to speak to you in the first place."

She shook her head and groaned.

"Leave me alone."

He started jogging off to join his teammates, but before he got too far, he turned around, looking at her seriously again now, the smile gone.

" Rachel, maybe I was harsh. And I'm sorry. You are a beautiful girl. You are the only girl I have ever even thought about asking out at this place. And you can still prove me wrong any time. Glee club practice tomorrow, And if not….then I guess I'll pass you by in a corridor someday."

She frowned as he ran off . His words played on her mind throughout the rest of the game, which they won.

After Quinn had dropped her home, she couldn't help replaying the conversation in her head. Out of all the things Sam had said to her that day, the one thing that stuck in her mind was him calling her beautiful.

She didn't sleep well that night. And she knew it was all because of Sam Evans.


	3. Chapter 3

**Carry Me Home Tonight – 3**

The next morning was a huge effort to even get out of bed for Rachel. Every time she had closed her eyes last night she saw Sam's face.

By the time she arrived at school, she was in a bad mood. Part of the bad mood was from Sam and his lectures, and part of it was the fact that his words bothered her so much. She didn't care. She wouldn't care. After all, she was one of the most popular girls in school, did it really matter what some football player thought of her? He was one voice. She would just have to ignore him from now on.

The morning lessons passed by in a blur and she found she couldn't concentrate on anything.

At lunchtime, Rachel headed for the usual table, smiling in greeting at everyone who was already there.

When she sat down, Santana was in the middle of a story about something that had happened during last nights game.

All the girls gasped at whatever Santana had been saying. Rachel looked at them all , puzzled.

"Start again. I want to know the gossip."

Santana rolled her eyes, but started talking anyway.

"Last night, Britt and I heard some guys in the football team talking about how Sam Evans had disgraced the team and how he should be kicked off because he joined Glee club. And apparently, they gave him an ultimatum after the match, and Sam told them in no uncertain terms that he was doing both. He said if they didn't like the fact he was in Glee club now, then maybe they should leave the football team because he wasn't going anywhere."

Rachel tried to look disinterested when she realised the conversation was about Sam, but despite his harsh words to her yesterday, she couldn't help but feel bad for him for getting grief from his team just because he had joined a singing club.

"I can't believe Sam is acting like that with the other guys. Why would the Quarterback willingly choose to join a reject club? It doesn't make any sense."

Rachel couldn't help scowling at Brittany as she spoke. Why did they have to be so mean about the Glee club? They had never done anything to these people, it wasn't fair on them.

She couldn't help the next words that tumbled out of her mouth.

"I think it's inspiring actually. I think Sam has the right idea. Maybe people like him can change things. Instead of sitting here droning on about how pathetic the Glee club is, why don't we join and see for ourselves?"

Everyone looked at Rachel as if she had just committed murder. Santana scoffed and Quinn was giving her the most venomous look she had ever seen.

"You better be joking Rachel Berry. Did you seriously just suggest that we should join the Glee club? What is wrong with you?"

She shrugged, feeling uncomfortable now everyone's eyes were on her.

"Why is it such a bad idea? I used to be in it, it was fun in there."

To her embarrassment , everyone started laughing.

"Oh yeah, it must have been real fun taking a slushy to the face everyday. And by the way, now you are on the cheerios, you have to pretend like you were never in Glee. Seriously. It's embarrassing enough that you were ever a part of those misfits, don't go publicly shouting about it, it looks bad on all of us."

Rachel frowned and cast her eyes down to the table. They were wrong. They were all wrong. Now Sam had stepped up and joined, it could only be a good thing.

Anyone could do it if the quarterback could. She noticed Santana was staring at her. She squirmed in her seat, unwilling to meet the fiery gaze of her friend.

"Something's going on isn't it Berry? I saw you last night talking to Sam in the middle of the game. And now here you are being a voice for the Glee Club. Are you dating him or something?"

Quinn looked alarmed at Santana's question while Rachel laughed and shook her head.

"What? No. Come on! Yesterday was the first time I had ever even spoken to him."

Quinn raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, looking unconvinced by the whole thing.

"Then why were you guys talking? And why are you flying the flag for Glee club today? Santana's right, it seems a little odd."

Rachel sighed, looking at the table to avoid everyone's gaze.

"I bumped into him yesterday and after you girls telling me about how he had joined the Glee club, I wanted to know if it was true. He said it was. The football game talk wasn't even anything. I just told him he had been playing well. That is it. Nothing else to it."

She hoped they couldn't tell she was lying. She didn't want them to know everything that had went down between her and Sam, it was none of their business. Now it was Santana's turn to raise an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Right. So you are telling me that last night, you told him he was playing a good game and that's why he touched your shoulder , and grabbed your arm as you started to walk away. Oh, and there is also the small fact that he was the one who came up and sat down beside you after he performed with the losers. Does he have a sixth sense or something? Did he know that you were going to congratulate him on a good game? Come off it Berry, your whole story stinks."

Rachel didn't know what to say to that. She couldn't help but feel annoyed that the girls had all started calling her by her last name, they hadn't been like this with her before today. They used to be like it, before she was popular, but for the last year they had been nothing but nice to her. She sensed that things were already starting to change and it was all Sam's fault.

"You are reading into things Santana. There is nothing to say."

Quinn looked from Santana to Britt, then lastly, turned her steely gaze on her.

"I don't know what's going on, but if I find out you are making plans to join the Glee club again, then you will be kicked off the squad. I will make sure of it. You know that Coach Sue listens to everything I say, and lets face it, you had to put up a huge fight with her to even make it on the team at all. She's never been keen on you. So just remember, if I find out you are lying… you are off the team. And stay away from Sam."

For some reason, the only thing that bothered Rachel about the whole exchange were the last words.

"Stay away from Sam? Are you serious? He rejected you last year…. Remember? You don't have a claim to him Quinn."

Quinn's mouth fell open at Rachel's words, while Brittany and Santana were looking just as shocked.

She stood up, glaring at Rachel.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just mouth back at me. Come on girls."

She waited for Santana and Britt to stand up and Rachel watched as all three of them walked away. She sighed and started picking the label on her water bottle. This was just great. Now all of her friends hated her.

She jumped as a tray thudded on the table and the chair next to her scraped back. She couldn't fail to hide her surprise as Sam sat next to her, picked up a huge burger from his tray and started eating it.

"Trouble in cheerleading paradise?" He asked, as he finished chewing his food.

She looked away from him and carried on picking at her water bottle.

"Not at all. Everything's fine."

He laughed, and took another bite of his burger.

"You are such a bad liar. I've been standing in the line waiting for food, I just saw them all walk away from you. They didn't even say bye. If everything was fine in that little frosty exchange, then that is a weird kind of friendship you've got going on there. "

She sighed and shook her head.

"What are you even doing here Sam? I thought you didn't want to speak to me unless I joined Glee club."

He grinned, taking another bite of his burger. He didn't eat like the other guys at this school, who mostly just shoved food in like they had been starved for ten years, he had manners. Rachel noticed these things about people, she was weird like that.

"Well… OK , so technically, that's true. If you fail to show up for Glee club after school, then honestly… I will have no interest in you, because you will be the awful pretentious cheerleader you are trying to be. But I have faith you will show up so I'm just starting our friendship early."

He shrugged as if it were a simple thing, finished his burger and took a sip of his drink.

"Wait… so if I don't show up at Glee club, then you will never talk to me again? Score."

He chuckled, and offered her a french fry. She shook her head and he sighed.

"Don't pretend like you don't want me in your life. I know you're curious about me."

She raised an eyebrow and gave him her best 'I don't know what you are talking about look.' It clearly didn't wash with him.

"Oh come on. Look Rachel, I'm not big headed. Honestly… I know what I just said sounded cocky, but it's not. Girls at this school are interested in me because I'm a jock, just like guys are into you because you're a cheerleader. Nobody actually likes us for us. But… I've seen you looking at me a few times and it sort of made me…. I don't know. It made me go funny. Because when you look at me… I see something more. I don't see a girl who is only looking at my football status. You are looking at something else. Which is why I am begging you to come to Glee club today and get rid of all this fake cheerleader bullshit nonsense you have going on."

She groaned and took a sip of her water before answering him.

"Sam, just because you think I'm unhappy doesn't mean I am OK ? And I don't look at you. I haven't ever looked at you."

He grinned, doing nothing to help her fascination with his dimples. She tried to look away, but like his eyes, his smile was mesmerizing.

"Last September in English, you looked at me for approximately seven minutes before very reluctantly looking away. Last October when I had to read out that awful Shakespeare script that bored everyone to death in assembly, you were the only one still watching and listening. Also in October when we had the Halloween parade, I couldn't make any of the celebrations because I had things going on with my family and you were this weird witch with like …. A really short skirt and low cut top on. Witches don't wear stuff like that and you looked really uncomfortable but I'm sure it was the other girls that roped you into it because you were all dressed the same, and anyway…. I walked past you on the street because I had to get home and you thought I didn't notice you because you were in a really bad disguise, but your eyes followed me until I was out of sight. The start of November…."

Rachel placed her hand on his arm, interrupting him, unable to stop the giggles. He was insane.

"Woah. Stop. I don't know if I should be freaked out by the fact that you know every time I've ever looked at you, or if I should find it amusing that you think me looking at you once or twice a month confirms my interest in you."

He again offered her a fry, and she refused once more, dropping her hand away from his arm quickly when she realised she was still touching him.

"It doesn't matter how often you look, what matters is the way you look at me. I have Quinn and other girls just eyeing me up like a piece of meat, all because they want a trophy boyfriend. And it's not just me, they look at anyone the same with a red football jersey on. It's sad that they are so desperate for a jock boyfriend that they would date any of us. You look at me different. You really see me."

She sat there in silence, not knowing what to say. She knew he was right, she was with the cheerleaders day in, day out. All they cared about was having somebody on their arm so they looked good.

"I've looked at you as well. But you never notice."

Rachel's cheeks turned pink as he spoke again. His eyes were intense as he studied her. She looked at the table, wishing her embarrassment wasn't so easily shown.

"What? You shouldn't... you shouldn't waste your time looking at someone like me when there are all these other pretty girls around you. Last night when you said you used to have a thing for me…. it was sweet, but you didn't mean it."

He raised an eyebrow and sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. She gulped as she noticed just how huge his arms were. Was he tormenting her with his body on purpose or was she just extra sensitive to everything about him since yesterday?

"Oh really? Do tell me why I didn't mean it? I would love to know your reasoning."

She looked at the table again, worried he would know she was nearly drooling at his arms. After the way he had just described girls wanting him for a trophy, she didn't think he would be impressed with the thoughts running through her head.

"Because…. I'm nothing special."

He cursed under his breath which made her look at him in alarm. He stood up, kicking his chair back. His jaw was set in a hard line as he glared down at her.

"Great. Now I have to go to History mad at you."

She stood up, puzzled at his reaction.

"Why do you have to be mad at me?"

She froze as his hand reached forward and touched her cheek lightly.

"Because those other girls don't have a thing on you. You're beautiful."

His voice was soft as he looked into her eyes. She tried to breathe but everything seemed to have stopped working. Her heart…. her lungs….. her ability to talk.

"I need to see you in Glee club later Rachel. Please be there."

Before she could say anything, he hurried out of the food hall. She sat down again, her legs felt like jelly as she replayed everything that had happened. The fact that he knew more than what she ever thought he did had completely unnerved her .

Afternoon classes were a complete drag as she fretted about what to do. Going to Glee meant being kicked off the cheerios. Would Quinn really do that to her? She thought they were friends. She gave another exasperated sigh as she realised she couldn't go to Glee club. She couldn't risk losing everything she had worked so hard for. Acceptance.

When the bell rang for the end of the school day, Rachel slowly started heading towards the exit. She felt certain she was making the right choice. Which is why she was so confused when she found she just couldn't step out of the door. And even more confused when she found herself retracing the steps she had just made to head for the choir room.

The door was closed. She took a deep breath, knowing that if she walked in, everything would change. But something inside her had already made her mind up for her, and she pushed on the door handle, walked in and shut the door quietly behind her. Everybody was already in the room, including Mr Schu. She felt awkward as every pair of eyes in the room stared at her in shock. She felt out of place in her cheerleading uniform.

She felt grateful as Sam jumped up from his seat and rushed over to her, a huge smile on his face.

"You're here."

He reached out his hands to touch her, then thought better of it, instead shoving them in his pockets, still looking down at her with a huge grin.

She smiled nervously back at him, her stomach flipping with dread at what she had just done. Everyone in here hated her. She had made the wrong choice.

"I guess I am" Her voice was shaking and she tried to calm her breathing down. She was panicked right now.

He took a hand from his pocket and reached out again. This time, he really did touch her. He held her hand softly as the same intense look from earlier returned to his face.

"You scared me for a minute. I didn't think you were going to show."

She looked round at everyone in the choir room who were still gaping at her.

"I wasn't. I nearly went home."

He smiled again now. It was a reassuring smile and it instantly made her feel better.

"I'm glad you didn't. Come on. I'll look after you."

She nodded , and allowed him to guide her over to a chair, hoping with all her heart that he would keep to his word and look after her.

She had a feeling that now she had made this choice, she would need him more than ever.


	4. Chapter 4

**Carry Me Home Tonight – 4**

To Rachel's complete relief, everyone in the Glee seemed to accept her back, no questions asked. Everyone that is, apart from Kurt. She tried to say hi to him, but he folded his arms across his chest and looked away. It hurt her, but then… she knew that she had hurt him so she deserved it.

Mr Schuester was delighted to have her back in the Glee club and invited her to sing straight away. She gave a heart felt rendition of The Rose and received a huge applause afterwards. She felt good after singing the song. She loved singing. In fact, she lived for it. She had been in the choir room for just five minutes and already she realised that she had been a fool to give it all up for popularity.

Sam was staring at her open mouthed as she made her way back to her seat.

"Woah. Rachel that was amazing. I can't believe you left the club when you have a voice like that."

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Thanks. But there's no point in dwelling on it all now. I'm back."

Sam frowned at her words, staring at her in disbelief.

"Yeah but… there is a point dwelling on it. I'm happy you came back, I really am…. But now I think maybe you shouldn't have come back at all."

She raised an eyebrow in question.

"What? Why?"

He sighed, and faced the piano, clearly not wanting to look at her anymore.

"Because the fact that you threw all this away in the first place really bothers me. I mean…. I heard you were good, but I was never in the Glee club back then so I never knew for sure. There is good and then there is you. You were insane up there and you were a complete idiot to chuck it all in just to become a bitchy cheerleader. People don't respect you. They tolerate you . They fear you."

Rachel gasped and stared at him, despite the fact he wasn't looking at her at all.

"I can't believe this. You begged me to come back and now you are sitting there and still insulting me. What is your problem? People don't fear me. I have never done anything to hurt anyone at this school. I'm not like that."

He scoffed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"No, but you have never helped anyone who is getting a load of crap of your fellow cheerleaders. Look, I'm not meaning to give you a hard time…. I just… I thought you were so much better than the person you seem to have become."

Rachel shook her head and sighed in frustration.

"You don't know me Sam. You have no clue. We hadn't even said a word to each other before yesterday. I'm not having this conversation again. I'm done. Let's just move on shall we?"

He nodded.

"Fine. I'll stop going on at you. Just….. just prove me wrong OK? Now you have taken this first step and you've made into Glee club again… make it count."

Kurt's transfer boyfriend Blaine tapped Sam on the shoulder.

"Sorry to interrupt but do you want to do that song we were rehearsing yesterday?"

Sam grinned at Blaine and nodded, they both walked to the front of the choir room and launched into an awesome version of Heroes.

Rachel had been right to suspect that Sam had potential. He was amazing. They both were actually. They were exactly what the Glee club needed and there was a real buzz in the room now they had three new members who could all sing really well. She looked across at Kurt, wondering how on earth he would ever forgive her. She would work on it. She hoped he would talk to her again one day.

As the end of the session rolled round, Sam grabbed his bag and stared at her as she got her belongings together. He made her feel nervous, standing there like that. She tried not to look at his arms and chest. She knew he would be good to hug. Well, not just hug but …. She would definitely do naughty things to him. What girl wouldn't? The whole school seemed crazy about him. He was so manly and tall and…. she shook her head, wanting the thoughts to go away.

He smiled at her, a puzzled look on his face.

"Are you OK there?"

She knew she was blushing as she nodded, then looked up at him.

"Yeah. I'm fine …. I wasn't thinking anything."

He looked even more puzzled and chuckled slightly. She wanted to kick herself. She was such an idiot sometimes.

"Right….. " He looked amused now. "Anyway…. I just wanted to say that I'm … well, not sorry. But sort of sorry. I will stop being so hard on you from now on. And I hope I see you around school tomorrow?"

Her heart felt like it did a little flip at his words. He said it as a question.

She smiled, trying not to get lost in his blue eyes.

"Of course. We have Glee practice right? So I will see you then. And you know…. You kind of said you would look after me now I'm going to be hated by everyone for joining the club again so…."

He smiled at her now, and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I always keep my word Rachel. See you tomorrow."

He let go of her and walked out of the choir room quickly. She made her way home in a daydream. She managed to get a better sleep that night, but the thoughts of Sam Evans were still in her head. In fact, she couldn't seem to think of anything but him.

As she got ready for school the next morning, she pulled on her cheerios uniform and sighed. Today would probably be the last day she would get to wear it if Quinn had her way. She couldn't figure out if that fact made her sad. She didn't know if she liked cheerleading or just the popularity.

She spent most of the morning at school dreading everyone finding out about the Glee club. She decided she would just tell them all as a whole group. At break, she made her way over to the tree where the cheerleaders always gathered, and took a deep breath.

"Girls… I know we had that heated discussion at lunch yesterday about the Glee club… but, well, I think you should hear it from me. I joined again. I'm part of the new directions again and I'm happy OK ? I know you didn't want me to do it, and if you really have to force me off the squad then I get it. It will make me sad but I get it. I just thought you should know."

Quinn stared at her like she had just ran across the school naked, while Santana and Britt looked appalled by the situation. For quite some time, there was an uncomfortable silence, until Quinn shrugged her shoulders, and to Rachel's utter astonishment, smiled.

"As long as you're happy, then fine. We will see you at lunch , OK ?"

Rachel nodded, shocked by the nonchalant attitude, and watched as they all said goodbye and walked away. She wasn't sure she liked that reaction. Something didn't feel right.

As she stood there, watching the three girls disappear into the distance, she felt somebody walk up behind her. She turned around, grinning as she saw Sam.

"Hey!"

He smiled, his dimples turning her legs to jelly.

"Hey yourself! Were they giving you grief about joining Glee club?"

She shook her head, unable to hide the puzzled look on her face.

"No. They were completely calm. Too calm. It was weird."

Sam's eyes narrowed at the news.

"Huh. Weird."

She nodded in agreement, then gasped as he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her down to sit on the grass with him. They sat against the tree, and Rachel wondered if he could hear her heart beating loud. This effect he was having on her lately was new. It was a good new though. She liked it.

"Is there a reason you just rugby tackled me to the ground?"

He laughed at her words, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her.

"I wish I had rugby tackled you to the ground. Because that would definitely mean you would be on top of me right now."

Rachel's mouth fell open . She giggled and nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Sam!"

He laughed and nudged her back.

"What?! Fine… I can be on top of you… either way is good for me."

She laughed again, knowing for a fact her cheeks were red. She watched as he placed his hand right next to hers on the grass. They were almost touching, but not quite. She wondered what his reaction would be if she held his hand. The way he was being right now, he wouldn't seem to care. But she stopped herself.

"Stop being dirty and tell me why we are sitting together."

He stopped smiling now and shifted closer towards her. He had a really intense look in his eyes, the type that would make any girl swoon.

"Why does there have to be a reason. Maybe I just wanted to sit with you. Should I go?"

She shook her head almost too quickly.

He smiled at her response and she didn't know what to say now. He was still staring at her. She felt nervous, she looked across the field so she didn't have to meet his gaze. Her breath caught as he moved even closer to her and ever so gently, placed his hand on top of hers. It wasn't even like he was holding it, it was just more like he hadn't noticed that her hand was there.

She looked at him in surprise at the movement, he was still watching her. His face was closer to hers than what she had realised.

"You took my breath away when you sang yesterday. It was beautiful. You're beautiful."

Her mouth felt dry as he inched closer towards her. Her heart was racing so much that she was sure she was about to have a heart attack. She noticed how good his lips looked now he was this close. She wanted to feel them on hers. His breath felt warm on her cheek, and just as she was sure he was about to kiss her, he pulled away.

Disappointment flooded through her at his abrupt rejection. Had she done something wrong? She was confused, he had been the one leaning in for a kiss, she hadn't come on too strong, had she?

He stood up, brushing some imaginary dirt away from his jeans. She stood up as well and straightened out her cheerios skirt.

"I should uh… well…. I'll see you later."

His voice was indifferent now. It hurt. It hurt more than it should have.

She watched, puzzled, as he quickly walked away from her without looking back. She shook her head and made her way to class , wondering what the hell had just happened.

Lunchtime came and went with no sign of Quinn , Santana or Britt, which was weird to her. She knew their reaction earlier had set off warning bells, but she had no clue what the warning could mean. She prayed they wouldn't humiliate her too much. If they kicked off the cheerio's , then so be it. But if they went back to making her life hell, day in, day out, then she didn't know if she could handle that.

As she made her way to the choir room at the end of the day, she was in a world of confusion about the events that had happened that day. She was even more confused when she read a sign on the choir room door saying the session was being held in the auditorium today. She made her way there, hoping Sam would be OK with her now.

She was wrong. Everyone was standing on the stage as she walked in, and when she went to stand next to Sam, he moved away. She tried not to let her embarrassment show, but everyone in the club had noticed. Mr Schu clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Right, now you are all here, I have some amazing news. We , as a group, have struggled for credibility in this school. We have been ridiculed, laughed at and slushied more times than we can care to mention. And even though we have always held our heads up high and I have been proud of that, today…. It all comes to an end. We don't have to be the underdogs anymore. All because of Rachel."

Everyone stared at her while she looked at Mr Schu as if he were insane.

"Wait, what? I'm confused."

Mr Schu smiled kindly.

"Because of you Rachel, today we had three new members join the Glee club."

Rachel watched in horror as Quinn, Santana and Brittany all walked out from behind the stage.

They all had smug smiles on their faces and Rachel's stomach filled with dread. She didn't know what the hell it meant that they were here, but she didn't like it one little bit.

"Mr Schu… I didn't play any part of this. It has nothing to do with me."

Quinn stepped forward, her eyes mocking as she stared at Rachel.

"It's because of you we joined Rachel. You inspired us to make a change at the school."

Rachel raised an eyebrow as she stared at the pretty blonde cheerleader. Something didn't add up.

"Now we have not just one, but FOUR cheerleaders in our group and a football player, the rest of the school won't be giving us any trouble. Things are looking up. Now let's get to it."

She spent the rest of the session in complete puzzlement as they all watched Kurt perform a beautiful solo, then Mike and Brittany danced while Santana sang. It was weird seeing the cheerleaders in Glee club. It was all suspicious. She didn't know whether to be relieved she hadn't been kicked off the cheerios, or worried.

The end of the class came round quickly.

Before she had a chance to speak to the girls to ask what was going on, they walked out of the auditorium.

Kurt also walked out before she could speak to him, she desperately wanted to make things up with him. She watched as Sam spoke to the only two that were left besides her. Mike and Artie. As much as she didn't want to talk to Sam after his reaction earlier, she knew she had to. She waited until he said bye to the boys.

"Sam, can we talk?"

He had already started making his way out. He stopped near the piano, but didn't turn around to look at her.

"What about?"

His voice still sounded harsh. Not like the Sam he was being earlier. How could he be so different. She sighed and walked over to him, deliberately standing in front of him so he had no choice but to look at her.

"Did I do something wrong?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but he kept silent ,then shook his head.

She frowned.

"Then why are you acting weird with me?"

He shrugged and looked at the floor.

"I'm not. You're being paranoid."

She scoffed.

"Are you for real? A few hours ago you called me beautiful and I… I thought….."

He looked up her, he seemed sad about something. It made her want to hug him, but she was too angry.

"And what Rachel? You thought what?"

Her cheeks turned pink as she forced herself to look him in the eye. She had to be mature about this. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"I thought you were going to kiss me."

A look of guilt crossed his face, and he let out a deep breath.

"I was. I was going to. I wanted to."

She frowned again. She surprised herself as she reached out for his hand. He let her take it and took a step closer to her.

"I wanted you to."

She had never been like this with a guy before. She had never been so blunt. Just like earlier today, her heart was beating so fast it scared her. Her stomach had butterflies and her legs felt like jelly.

His face softened as he stared at her. Maybe she should be brave. It would be easy to step a little closer and kiss him. It would be easy to finish what they started earlier. She reached up with her other hand and traced a finger lightly down his cheek.

"Kiss me Sam."

Something flashed in his eyes that she couldn't quite make out. He stepped away from her and let go of her hand, shaking his head.

"I can't."

There was that hurt again. She tried not to let her emotions show, but her voice gave her away.

"Why?"

She sounded like a wounded puppy. She wanted to kick herself for being so needy, so desperate. What had gotten into her today?

"Because you and I are never going to work. I'm a jock, you're a cheerleader. It's superficial high school crap. It's not me. I don't want that."

Of all the things she was expecting him to say, that wasn't one of them. She was offended and angry now. How dare he?

"Wow . That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life. The fact that you think I'm some brainless bitchy cheerleader cuts me deep. It's not fair. You are being judgemental. You're being a jerk."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"You haven't done anything to persuade me you are something else yet."

She cried out in anger.

"What? I joined the Glee club because of you. I risked my whole reputation just so I could sing dumb songs with a bunch of nerds."

He laughed, but it was a bitter laugh. She hadn't meant to say that. She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

"The fact that you think joining the club and risking your precious reputation is some kind of heroic act, just makes me all the more sure that I made the right choice not kissing you. And these nerds are your friends Rachel. They accepted you back just like that and you are calling them names. Artie has been telling everyone who will listen how good it is to have you back. Tina idolises you and wants to be just like you. Kurt loves you so much that he can't even talk to you right now because you hurt him so bad last time. And all you can do is insult them."

She shook her head, tears burning the back of her eyes.

"I didn't mean it. You made me angry and I lashed out at them . It wasn't fair of me. Just like it's not fair for you to keep assuming I'm some sort of bitch."

He sighed, his hand clenching around his bag strap that hung on his shoulder.

"We are never going to work Rachel. Let's just forget it."

She couldn't help the tear that escaped as she watched him walk away. She turned around , gripping the piano for support.

She was done with Sam Evans.

She froze as she heard footsteps behind her. She looked at the floor as Sam stood in front of her. She wished he really had walked away. She didn't think she could take round two of him insulting her.

"Look at me."

His voice was soft now. It was like earlier, over by the tree. She shook her head. She heard him sigh, her breath caught as his hands cupped her face.

He tilted her head up gently and she had no choice but to look in his eyes.

He looked at her for a moment, that same intense stare from earlier that made her feel hot.

She gasped as his lips crushed into hers. The kiss was gentle at first. His lips were as soft as she had imagined them to be earlier. His hands traveled down from her cheeks, caressing her neck as he kissed her deeper. She pulled away, her face full of uncertainty.

"We're never going to work."

She whispered the words he had said just a few minutes ago to her. Guilt was written all over his face as he shook his head.

"I'm a jerk."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close to her.

"Yes you are." She murmured in agreement, before finding his lips once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Carry Me Home Tonight – 5**

Rachel's hands travelled down Sam's arms as they kissed. His arms felt as good as they looked. They were big and strong and she wanted him to hold her in them. Her breath caught as he gently pushed his tongue forward into her mouth, his arms wrapping round her waist as he found her tongue. She stood on her tiptoes, eager to feel more of him, to taste more of him. It seemed like ages before they broke apart, both of them breathless and dazed.

Rachel straightened out her cheerios uniform, it was more from habit and nerves than because it needed to be straightened. Sam cleared his throat and looked shocked by the whole thing.

"Wow…. That was… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you."

Her eyes narrowed at his words. If he was about to blow cold again, she wouldn't stand for it.

"What are you saying sorry for? I liked it. I wanted you to kiss me."

He looked surprised. He shoved his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat again.

"You did?"

She nodded, unable to help the smile on her face.

"Yes. I think that…. I think maybe you should kiss me again."

A small smile appeared on his lips now, but to her dismay, he shook his head.

"But I'm a jerk."

She nodded, her eyes sparkling with amusement. She found the way Sam was being right now really sweet. He looked adorable, like he had just been caught doing something really bad or something.

"Yes. We've already been through this. You are a jerk."

He frowned and shrugged. His eyes hadn't left hers since they had pulled away from each other. Even though there was only a few inches between them both, Rachel hated the distance. She wanted him close to her again.

"Why would you want to kiss a jerk? I've said some horrible things to you."

It was her turn to shrug now.

"I don't think you meant the things you said. I already have you sussed. I think you were just saying all those horrible things because you can't face the truth. You try and act like your different, like you are some 'change' for high schools everywhere, but the fact of the matter is…. You like a cheerleader. You like me."

She felt big headed saying it, but she had never been so sure about anything in her life. He had told her that he used to have a thing for her, and now she was starting to realise that the thing had never went away. He wouldn't have been acting like this the last few days otherwise. His behaviour didn't make any sense, but now she was sure that she could see right though him. The last thing he had wanted to do was like a cheerleader, but it had happened anyway.

He sighed deeply.

"Well aren't you modest."

She scoffed at his attempt to insult her. She had never had the audacity to claim a guy liked her before today, but she could sense it with Sam. She wondered why she hadn't sussed it out before. He was angry because he didn't want to like her, but he did. She placed a hand gently on his chest and took a step closer to him. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek as she looked up at him.

"Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you don't like me."

He opened his mouth to speak, and for a horrible moment, she thought he was going to tell her she was wrong. That would be humiliating.

"I like Rachel Berry and I'm not afraid to admit that. I just… I don't know if I like cheerleader Rachel Berry, because it's not really who you are."

She groaned in frustration. What was his deal with the whole cheerleading thing?

"It's me Sam. I am Rachel Berry whether I'm a cheerleader or a rocket scientist. I'm still the same girl. You can't judge me for one aspect of my life. I want you to kiss me again. I want to kiss you. But you need to tell me now if we are going to have this conversation again because if we are, then I'm gone. I'm done. I can't keep telling you that I'm a good person, you have to see for yourself. If you can't handle all of me, then walk out now. Otherwise, shut up and kiss me."

He sighed again, and ever so gently, leant forward and kissed the top of her head. He rested his head against hers for a moment and just looked at her. She could see how dreamy his eyes really were right now. They were a light green sort of colour, and they were making her melt. They were gorgeous. He was gorgeous.

She realised she still had her hand on his chest. She trailed her hand up slowly until she reached his neck. Just as she was about to freak out that he wasn't going to kiss her, his lips touched hers once more. Her whole body felt hot as he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled him close to her. Her hand reached up to tangle in his hair , and he moaned softly at the touch. Her other hand cupped his cheek, and she caressed him as once again, their tongues found each other.

Her breathing was fast and heavy as he soothed patterns into her back with his hands, they were inching lower and lower, and just as he was about to grab her ass, they heard a huge crash behind them. They both jumped apart, looking at Principal Figgins as he started muttering to himself, and picked up the mop and bucket he had just dropped. When he caught sight of them, he frowned and pointed his finger at them.

"Get out of here you two. I have to clean this place because we can't afford to keep the janitors on who were all lazy and didn't do the work properly anyway. Go. Before I give you detention."

Sam and Rachel glanced at each other, trying not to laugh, before making their way out of the auditorium. They walked along in silence to the parking lot. She had no clue what to say to him. When they got outside, they realised theirs were the only cars left. She pointed at hers, which was stupid because he clearly knew which one was his.

"Well… this is mine so….My car I mean but then you already know that….. you have your car and I have mine so it's obvious….. you uh….. erm…. I guess I'll uh…. I guess….. Well, see you later Sam."

Her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment as she struggled to get the words out. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't want to be rude and just walk away, but what other option did she have? She had already been forward enough earlier, she wasn't going to do that again even if she had been right.

When she looked at Sam, she realised to her annoyance that he was finding the whole thing funny. He didn't even attempt to hide his laughter as she stood there looking like a flustered, blubbering mess.

"You're cute when you don't know what to say."

She scowled and started to walk off. She didn't want to embarrass herself any further . Her heart jumped as she felt his hand grab her arm, pulling her back. She turned to face him again, the scowl on her face softening when she saw how he was looking at her. It made a thousand butterflies in her belly wake up.

"You can't just walk away. There are so many things wrong with you trying to walk away that I don't even know where to start."

She raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for him to elaborate.

"First of all, you didn't say Bye."

She sighed and muttered 'Bye' under her breath before attempting to walk away again. He chuckled and pulled her back.

"Secondly, you didn't give me your number."

She raised an eyebrow again in question, it hadn't even crossed her mind.

"You want my number?"

He looked puzzled as he let go of her arm and got his phone out of his pocket.

"Why wouldn't I want your number?"

She looked at him suspiciously, then took his phone from his hands, tapped in her number, and handed it back to him. He gave her a weird look, pressed the call button on her phone and grinned like a loon when her phone started ringing. She couldn't help the laughter that escaped from her mouth.

"Did you seriously think I gave you the wrong number?"

He shrugged, the sexy half smile on his lips never disappearing.

"Maybe. After all, we have both agreed that I'm a jerk."

She nodded in agreement.

"Can I go now then?"

He shook his head.

"No. Not until you kiss me again."

Her eyes sparkled as she stepped away from him.

"I can't kiss you again. You have had way too many kisses for one day. If I kiss you again, then you won't want anymore kisses from now on and the whole thing will be ruined."

He pouted at her words, and put his phone back in his pocket.

"Trust me, I will want more kisses. Judging by those kisses we just had then….. wow. I will want more. Forever. "

She shook her head.

"No."

His eyes narrowed as she took another step back.

"That's not fair. I asked nicely."

She laughed loudly now, shaking her head again.

"No you didn't. You said I can't go until I kiss you again. You didn't even ask, you just told. "

He sighed, realising she was right.

"Shit. Fine. If you want to go without kissing me, I understand. I guess it's what I had coming for being such a douche to you earlier."

She nodded, unable to stop the smile at his cute puppy dog eyes. He really was trying to make her kiss him.

"Text me later OK ?"

He nodded in answer, still looking crestfallen as she walked over to her car. When she opened the door, glanced back at Sam who was still watching her sadly.

"Sam?"

He looked at her so damn cute it made her heart melt.

"I didn't say you couldn't kiss me."

He looked puzzled for a moment, then his whole face lit up as he ran over to her. He grinned wickedly as he backed her up against the car.

"I'm going to have to keep an eye on you. You don't play fair Rachel Berry."

She giggled as he cupped her face. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him against her.

"Stop talking and kiss me."

He laughed as once again, his lips found hers. It was the same as before as he kissed her hungrily, his mouth searching hers. His hands soon started making their way across her body, and her heart rate sped up as she felt his hands through the material of her cheerios uniform, snaking lower and lower.

When one of his hands found her ass, he moaned and started kissing her neck. She sighed happily as her fingers made their way to the hem of his t-shirt, wanting to explore what was underneath.

"I TOLD YOU TWO TO GO HOME. DETENTION, MY OFFICE, TOMORROW AFTER SCHOOL."

They jumped apart at the sound of Figgins voice shouting at them again. Rachel started giggling, while Sam tried to compose himself before turning around to face the Principle.

"Go. Go now before I give you detention for the next week."

Rachel groaned while Sam cursed under his breath.

"See you tomorrow Rach."

She grinned and nodded her head.

"Bye Sam."

She jumped into her car and drove off before Figgins could give her another detention, she had enough to do with cheerios and Glee club without landing up in detention for the next week.

She couldn't stop grinning when she got back home as she replayed the events in her mind. The feel of his lips, the touch of his hands, the way he looked at her. He was magical. She felt like she walking on air as she tried to focus on some homework that had to be in tomorrow.

She jumped as her phone buzzed.

**Sam: Hey! It's Sam. That's twice Figgins has spoiled our fun. X**

She read the text message and grinned , before replying back.

**Rachel : Hey yourself! Maybe it was for the best, things were getting pretty heated. Xx**

Her whole body tingled as she remembered the way he started kissing her neck. She didn't think anything had ever felt that good.

**Sam: it was your fault. X**

**Rachel: How? Xx**

**Sam: Because you shouldn't kiss me like that. X**

She laughed, shaking her head at the text.

**Rachel: You shouldn't kiss me like that either. You especially shouldn't have…. Well… you know. Xx**

She blushed as she thought of the way she felt as his lips touched the skin on her neck. Something inside of her had lit up. Something that she didn't really want to feel. She didn't want to be into any guys. Sam Evans had hit her like a bolt of lightning.

**Sam: I shouldn't have what? Oh… wait. You mean I shouldn't have kissed your neck right? Sorry to tell you beautiful, but that is probably going to be a regular thing from now on. You will just have to learn to deal with it. X**

She knew she would never get used to that. She couldn't concentrate on anything right now because of the kiss. She also couldn't fail to feel happy that he had called her beautiful.

**Rachel: Then I guess we just can't kiss or touch each other from now on. Xx**

Her phone buzzed just five seconds later.

**Sam: Not funny. X**

She grinned at his response, imagining that sexy pouty face he did. She sighed as her Dads called her, they were going to the theatre tonight and she wouldn't able to text Sam again. It was a once a month Berry family tradition, and usually, she lived for it. But right now, she wished it wasn't tonight.

**Rachel: I have to go. Off out tonight. I'll see you at school tomorrow though? Xx**

She felt unsure and shy as she asked the question, her head still in a bit of a spin from Sam always blowing hot and cold with her.

**Sam: That sucks. But have fun. Yes of course. I have something important to tell you. x**

She stared at her phone, wondering what the hell it could be. She ignored her Dads as they called her again and tapped out a reply.

**Rachel: What about? Xx**

**Sam: About why I acted such a tool towards you. And for the record, I am sorry. Will explain all tomorrow. Go out. Enjoy the night Rach X**

She put her phone away as she ran downstairs to her Dads. She felt deliriously happy right now.  
It was an unusual feeling, one she hoped wouldn't go away just yet.

She couldn't take in any of the show that night. Her Dads kept asking her if she was ill. She just smiled, safe in the knowledge that the only thing wrong with her at the moment was Sam Evans.

He had taken over her brain, and after just two days of getting to know him, had started moving in on her heart.


	6. Chapter 6

**Carry Me Home Tonight – 6**

When Rachel got to school the next morning, she couldn't find Sam anywhere. His car was in the parking lot but she couldn't find him and she didn't have any classes with him. She sighed, leant against the lockers and got her phone out.

**Rachel : Where are you? xx**

She gasped as her phone was whipped out of her hands. Just as she was about to protest and grab it back, Sam kissed her on the cheek, grinning at her cheekily. Even though her heart was still racing from the shock, she couldn't help smiling.

"Sam! You nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought I was being mugged."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You thought you were being mugged? In a school corridor?"

She shrugged and grabbed her phone back from his hands.

"It could happen. I just text you."

Her legs turned to jelly and her heart started racing as he put his hands on the lockers either side of her and leaned forward, closing her in. His face was just inches from hers. She tried to remember how to breathe properly.

"My phones in my locker. And yours should be too. You'll get in trouble with Figgins. We already have detention today. We are just lucky we don't have Glee practice."

Rachel rolled her eyes affectionately, still smiling. He was so tall and strong. He wasn't even touching her but she still felt safe and protected. His eyes were making her melt.

"You are such a teachers pet. I always keep my phone on me. School rules are made to be broken."

He sighed, and shook his head slightly.

"Well the rest of us are trying to get an education. Why do all cheerleaders think they are above following the rules?"

Her heart sunk at his words. All her elation from before wiped out at just a sentence. The tension was back. She looked down at the floor, feeling sad that he was still using the fact she was a cheerleader against her. She had hoped things would be different after yesterday. He sighed again, and placed his hand under her chin, tilting her head up so she had to look at him again.

"I'm sorry. Forget I said it."

She didn't say anything. She just looked at him. How could she forget it? Would he always be bringing it up? She gasped as he leaned in closer, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Maybe she was fickle, but it definitely made her feel better. She was smiling again as he pulled away, unable to stop her happiness when he touched her or kissed her. It was like winning the lottery each time.

"I really am sorry. What did the text say?"

His hand moved from her chin, down to her neck. She shivered slightly at his touch.

"I was just wondering where you were. You said you wanted to talk to me today and we don't have any classes together."

He smiled kindly, caressing her neck softly. She leaned into his touch, and was just wondering if she should kiss him again when the bell rang for first lessons. They both sighed and looked at each other longingly.

"Meet me at lunch. Over by the tree you were at the other day."

Her eyes widened in alarm at his request, and before she could stop herself, she started speaking.

"I… I don't know if I can. I didn't hang out with the girls yesterday, I have no clue where they were. But… they don't like it if I bail on them so I think I should sit with them today."

He pulled away from her , he looked completely wounded.

"You don't want to bail on them who you see every day, but it's fine to bail on me when I have something important to tell you? Fine. Whatever."

She frowned as he walked away from her. She hadn't meant for it to come out like that. She would rather be with him, of course she would,, but one time when she had spent lunch with someone else, Quinn threatened to get her thrown off the cheerios. In fact, come to think of it, the whole last year on the squad had been like walking on egg shells. If she so much as looked at something the wrong way, her place on the squad would be threatened by Quinn. It had been a balancing act trying to get it all right, and she didn't want to screw it all up.

She spent the morning lessons thinking things over, and by the time lunch came round, she realised what a fool she had been. Living in fear around people who were supposed to be your friends was no way to live at all. She made her way to the tree as soon as the bell rang, hoping with all her heart she hadn't screwed things up. She couldn't hide her disappointment when she realised Sam wasn't there.

She sat back against the tree and got her phone out, starting to type a message.

"Put your phone away. I'm here."

She jumped at his voice, grinning when she realised he really had shown up. She hadn't blown it. She put her phone away and patted the ground next to her.

He sat down next to her, and grabbed her hand, linking her fingers with his. They both sat back against the tree and she sighed happily.

"I didn't think you would show up. That was pretty selfish of me earlier, you need to talk to me and I was going to spend an hour being miserable with a bunch of girls who like to spend their time slagging everyone and everything off."

Sam looked at her in surprise and she groaned inwardly. She hadn't meant to say that much.

"Look, Rachel… I'm still learning. I don't really know how to act around girls and the way I was with you earlier wasn't right. It was childish of me. I want you to know that I would never make you choose between you and your friends. Ever. I don't expect you to give up time with them to spend time with a guy you barely knew. I just guess I wanted to tell you so badly why I had been being a jerk towards you, that I acted like a jerk all over again and I'm sorry for that. I was going to text you just now but I saw you heading for the tree. I'm here to tell you to go be with your friends. This can wait."

She squeezed his hand.

"Sam… I know you wouldn't make me choose. You've been right all along. Those girls, they aren't my friends. And I'm… I'm not a cheerleader. I'm just a girl who's trying to fit in. But somehow, over the last few days… you arrived. And you've made me feel accepted. I do fit in. I'm quitting the cheerio's today after school. Before detention, I will go and tell coach Sue I'm done."

Sam looked shocked for a moment , then shook his head.

"No, come on. You can't throw it all away just because an idiot like me is telling you who you should be. You have to be what you want to be. You need to think about it Rachel, it's a huge leap."

She shuffled up next to him so their legs were touching. He let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders. She smiled as she cuddled up to him, her head against his chest.

"It's what I want. It's nothing to do with you, you just helped me realise, that's all. There are some lovely girls on that squad. They aren't all bitchy , superficial cheerleaders. But I don't want to be a part of it anymore."

Sam kissed the top of her head. She desperately wanted to kiss him properly, but she was a little too scared to make the move.

"As long as you're sure."

She nodded.

"I am. Now tell me what you wanted to say. I'm not going anywhere for the next hour."

She put her hand on his chest, listening to his low , steady breathing as she laid against him.

"Well, I was going to make it this huge long story full of explanations about why I treated you so bad, but now I have realised it doesn't need to be long when the truth is simple. A year or so ago I dated a cheerleader."

Rachel tried to hide her shock at this news. She thought he hadn't dated anyone for years. She tried to stem the jealousy that was burning inside her as he carried on.

"She was from the school at the other side of town. Believe it or not, it was around the same time you chucked in Glee club to be a cheerleader. I had a thing for you, as you know… and then you went and joined the cheerios, and I tried to forget about you by dating… well…. A cheerleader. I thought I was being cool and ironic. Date the thing I have issues with. I thought it would be funny. I fell into the relationship too quickly, and I ended up telling her everything about myself after only two weeks. I told her all about how my family were poor and how we had nothing , I told her all my deepest , darkest secrets because I thought she cared…. And she turned around and used all those things I was insecure about and threw them back in my face. She humiliated me. She used me."

Rachel sat up straight now and looked at him. He couldn't quite meet her eyes and his cheeks were pink. He was embarrassed.

"How? What did she do to you Sam?"

He shrugged and started fiddling with the grass next to him.

"She just…. She made me a laughing stock at her school. I thought she was into me. I thought she cared about me. It turned out that she had been dating a jock from her school all along and he had asked her to do it. He wanted dirt on me so he could win at the next football game. And he got it. She dumped me for no reason, and then at the next football match, we were playing against that team. I watched as she made out with this guy in front of me…. and then, at a crucial point in the game , the whole crowd started chanting. I had no clue what they were saying at first. I only realised it was about me when everyone started looking at me. The chant 'Trampy Sam' still rings in my head to this day, obviously we lost the game. It wasn't just that, she got her boyfriend to beat me up after the game, and I had constant internet torture for months. Every social media site I got abuse and called names. People had photo shopped me into these pictures …. There was me, sitting in a cardboard box in front of shop doorways. Obviously everyone found it hilarious because I was poor. They pulled me apart for everything. She wrecked me for a few months. And because I only went with her to forget about you…. it made me so angry seeing you as a cheerleader. I wrongly assumed you were like all the rest, when deep down, I've always known you aren't."

It was no wonder he had issues with cheerleaders after all that. She felt so sad for him. His cheeks were still pink, it was obviously something he didn't like talking about.

"Wow Sam. I'm so sorry you went through that. No wonder you acted the way you did. Sam…. I would never do anything like that. You didn't deserve any of it."

He shrugged, still unable to look at her.

"Honestly, it doesn't matter anymore. It's all done. But I shouldn't have taken it out on you. It's just… everyday I saw you in that uniform was a painful reminder of the taunts. It's a shitty thing to do, to take everything somebody is insecure about and use it against them, but it still doesn't make my reaction to you OK."

"It's fine. You went through shit. I understand why you said the things you did. And you haven't pushed me into quitting, I'm doing it because I want to. Let's forget about it now and start again."

He grinned , his whole face lighting up with the smile.

"If we are starting again, that means I get to ask you out. But like… for real. We can go to the movies and make out on the back row."

She giggled, blushing at his words.

"Go on then."

He looked at her in confusion.

"Go on then what?"

She took his hands in hers, wanting to touch him.

"Ask me out."

A small smile appeared on his lips, and she was sure his cheeks were turning pink again.

"I'm crap at stuff like this. Can't I just text you later?"

She giggled again and smacked him playfully on the arm.

"No. I want to hear you say it."

He rolled his eyes affectionately and stood up, pulling her with him and backed her up against the tree.

He rested his hands gently on her hips, and looked into her eyes. Her heart was racing at being this close to him, at being touched by him. She held her breath as he spoke.

"Rachel Berry, will you let me take you out?"

She smiled and nodded her head. He sounded so nervous that she wanted to put him out of his misery.

He looked delighted at her response.

"Will you really?"

She couldn't believe he even had to double check. He was mad if he thought she wouldn't date him.

She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. She wanted so bad to kiss him again, but she didn't know if she was brave enough.

"Yes Sam Evans. I will go out with you."

His eyes sparkled as he kissed her cheek.

"Rachel ….. I have to ask you something else. It's really important..."

She raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes?"

"Will you let me grab your ass again?"

She burst out laughing and pushed him away playfully. He pretended it hurt and started rubbing the spot she had shoved him.

"It's not my fault you have a nice ass. Jeez."

She shook her head and tugged his t-shirt, bringing him back to her.

"I'll let you grab my ass if you kiss me."

He acted like he had to think about it for a minute. She was just about to get offended when he made her gasp by cupping her face and kissing her. His lips were like heaven. She had been waiting all day for a proper kiss. A repeat of yesterday. Her breath caught as he pressed her against the tree again, his body touching hers.

"Oh. Look what we have here girls. Loves young dream."

Sam and Rachel broke apart at the sound of Quinn's voice. She watched as Quinn, Santana and Brittany glared at her. Her cheeks went red under the scrutiny.

"What do you want Quinn?"

Sam sounded annoyed as he spoke . He really didn't seem to like these girls.

"We wanted to come see what our friend was up to. She didn't show up at lunch today."

Rachel stepped forward, wanting to make peace with the girls.

"I'm sorry. I should have let you know I wouldn't be there today. And before you threaten me or say anything… I'm quitting cheerios tonight. You got what you wanted. We were all just pretending. We were never friends. You never really liked me, you just tolerated me because I was a cheerleader."

The three girls all glanced at each other, clearly surprised at Rachel's reaction, before Quinn spoke again.

"You can't quit the cheerios Rachel, we all adore you. You have to stay on the squad."

Rachel and Sam looked at each other in confusion while Brittany and Santana nodded in agreement with Quinn .

"But… but I thought you hated me. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm leaving because I don't fit in on the team. I never have. I'm doing it for me."

Quinn shrugged.

"Fair enough."

The girls were just about to walk away, when Quinn looked at Sam.

"So you two are a thing now right?"

Sam nodded, and to Rachel's delight, wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively. Quinn scowled and turned to Rachel. It was obvious that Quinn still fancied Sam. Anyone could see it.

"He's certainly downgraded. Just last week, he was making out with me in the parking lot. He obviously has a thing for cheerleaders."

The three girls walked away, laughing to themselves. Rachel pushed Sam's arm away and glared at him.

"Is that true? You and Quinn?"

He had guilt written all over his face. Anyone could tell that he looked sheepish. She shook her head, unable to believe this news.

"But…. But you turned her down last year. The whole school knows about the story. You turned down the prettiest girl in the school."

Sam sighed and tried to grab her hand. She shook him away.

"You're the prettiest girl in school Rachel."

She shook her head again and took a step back from him.

"Quit with the bull crap. Is she right? Did you make out with her just last week?"

He looked down at the floor, his shoulders slumping. When he looked back up at her, he nodded.

"Rachel, look….. I…..."

Rachel's heart sunk and she felt sick as she looked at him in horror.

"I don't want to hear it. We are done."

She ran off, fighting the urge to cry. She could hear him calling her name, but she didn't care. He had given her shit for being a cheerleader, spun her a tale of woe about a monster cheerleader breaking his heart, and now it turns out he's been fooling around with the head cheerleader all along.

Rachel vowed as she walked back into the school that she would forget all about Sam Evans.

As far as she was concerned , the last few days hadn't happened.


	7. Chapter 7

**Carry Me Home Tonight – Chapter 7**

Rachel tried to concentrate on her lessons that afternoon, but it was hard with the thought of Sam and Quinn in her head. All this time he had been lecturing her about being a cheerleader and it turned out he had dated every single cheerleader going. OK , maybe that was an exaggeration. But this girl from the other school and now Quinn. She didn't know if she was angrier about the way he was being a hypocrite or the fact he had kissed Quinn.

Quinn had always made her feel insecure anyway, she was beautiful. Every girl at the school wanted to look like her and every guy wanted to date her. There had even been a time when Rachel had considered having a nose job just so she could look more like Quinn.

So the fact that she had kissed Sam really bothered her. Everything Sam had said to her over the last few days had been a lie. What would he see in her after kissing someone like Quinn?

In the last lesson of the day, she asked the teacher if she could leave five minutes early to talk to Coach Sue. As she made her way to the office, she felt sick. When she walked in , Coach Sue was looking at her like she was a bad smell, but then, she usually did look at her like that.

"There better be a good reason you just walked into my office uninvited Berry."

Rachel took a deep breath and walked over nervously to the desk, putting her pompoms on the table.

"There is. I'm quitting the Cheerios."

She waited for the inevitable explosion. She kept waiting. And waited some more. When she finally realised that Sue had barely reacted and was jotting something down in her book, she felt annoyed.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

Coach Sue stopped writing and looked up at her coldly.

"It's about time. I want the uniform back tomorrow morning. Now get out."

Rachel nodded and hurried out of the office quickly. It had went better than she expected it to.

She groaned as the bell went , realising she now had to face detention with Figgins and….. and Sam.

It upset her when she thought of the reason why they had wound up in detention anyway, all because they were getting frisky at school. Now, she didn't even want to look at him.

When she walked into the classroom and saw Sam sitting at the front, she instantly made her way to the back. It was only her , Sam and some kid everyone knew as 'Stoner guy'. Stoner guy looked asleep already.

Sam's eyes pleaded with her as she marched past his desk. When she sat down, she frowned as Sam scraped his seat back and started making his way over to her. When he sat at the desk next to hers. She sighed, shook her head, stood up and made her way to the desk he had just been sitting on at the front of the class.

Luckily, before he could follow her again, Figgins came in and told them to catch up on any work they needed to do for the next hour in silence. She just decided to get an English textbook out and read that for the duration, all her other work was complete. She wouldn't have been able to concentrate on anything else anyway. She could feel Sam's eyes on the back of her head throughout the session. When Figgins finally said they could go, she shoved her books in her bag and ran out of the classroom as quick as she could.

She should have known she wouldn't be able to outrun the quarterback. By the time she had reached the parking lot, he had caught up with her.

"You can't ignore me forever. We need to talk about this."

She laughed and shook her head as she unlocked her car. She turned around to face him, knowing that he had followed her over. She couldn't help thinking that yesterday they had been making out against the car, today couldn't be further away from that happy moment.

"Why do we need to talk about it? We managed just fine without talking to each other up until a few days ago, I'm pretty sure we can do it again."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked gorgeous. And she hated herself for even thinking that.

"But I always wanted to talk to you. You were always on my mind. And now we've had these last few days, I can't go back to just… just nothing."

She shrugged, leaning back against her car. She felt weary and just wanted to get home.

"You don't have a choice in the matter. Maybe you should give Quinn a text. I'm sure she's more than willing to continue where you both left off. "

He shook his head and took a step closer to her. She wanted to back away from him but she had the small problem of a car right behind her.

"Don't. You have it all wrong. It's not what you think it is."

"You admitted earlier that you kissed her. It is what I think it is. You kissed Quinn. It really couldn't be any more simple."

He groaned in frustration.

"Why are you so mad? It was before I started talking to you. You and I weren't a thing. I was free to do what I want."

His words cut her like a knife. How could he not see what he had done wrong? It wasn't even the fact he had kissed her at all, it was the fact that he supposedly hated cheerleaders yet he was more than happy to make out with them.

"You have used the last few days to tell me what a horrible person I am. You have messed with my head and told me that I am an awful human being for wanting to fit in at this joke of a school. When all the time, you have been making out with and dating the thing you supposedly despise. You are a hypocrite Sam Evans. And you are still free to do what you want because we are completely done."

She climbed in her car and shut the door before he could say anything else. She took one last look at him before driving away.

When she got home , she had to turn her phone off. Sam kept phoning her. She ignored the first six phone calls, and when she realised he wasn't going to give up, she turned it off and sat on the sofa watching TV , waiting for her Dads to get home from work.

Twenty minutes later, she heard knocking at the door. She rolled her eyes, her Dads forgot the house keys at least once a week. It was the most annoying thing.

She opened the door ready to give them another lecture about being forgetful when she gasped. Instead of her parents, Sam was standing on her doorstep.

"I just want to talk to you. You're not answering my calls."

She glared at him.

"Me not answering your calls should have been a big indication that I don't want to talk to you. And how the hell do you know my address?"

"I asked Brittany. Well… I sort of tricked her into telling me, it wasn't hard."

She should have known. Brittany would give anything away to anyone.

She made a move to shut the door in his face, but he put his foot against it. She couldn't budge it no matter how hard she tried.

"I kissed Quinn because of you."

His voice sounded cold when he spoke. She creased her eyebrows in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

He relaxed his foot against the door. His eyes were staring into hers, making her legs feel like jelly.

"Quinn has hated me ever since I turned her down. She is always making sly little digs at me. When I joined the Glee club… I guess it just set her off even more. I bumped into her in the parking lot and I tried to ignore her but she kept telling me how pathetic I was and how I wasn't a man because my family are so poor and all that shit."

Rachel shook her head, staring at him blankly.

"So how did you end up kissing her and why was it because of me?"

He sighed, and looked at the ground for a second, his cheeks turning pink.

"When she realised I was ignoring her, she said that she had seen me looking at you. That she knew I had a thing for you."

Her heart leapt as he looked painfully shy . She waited for him to carry on with the story.

"She said that she was going to tell you I was into you and I freaked out. This is the part where I admit I was a jerk and all I can say is I'm sorry for what you are about to hear."

She relaxed the frown on her face, this was obviously hard for him, admitting all of this.

"I'm listening."

He took a deep breath, then looked at the floor again, clearly not wanting to look at her.

"I begged Quinn not to tell you. I didn't want you to hear it second hand . I didn't want to come across as typical jock just wondering which cheerleader he could get with next. I didn't want you to know at all. I have always been in awe of you, despite the fact you ditched all your friends to join the cheerios. I still look at you every day and admire you because I know that you are special. You are one of a kind Rachel, and I'm pretty sure every guy at that school fancies you, they just don't want to admit it. Quinn just kept laughing and saying she would tell the whole school and then I …. I…. I kissed her. I was an idiot."

She shook her head feeling more confused than ever.

"It still doesn't make sense. I'm even more confused now than I was at the beginning of the story."

He looked up, pain and regret clearly evident on his face.

"I kissed her to try to make her see that I didn't like you even though I clearly do and it was all just ridiculous. I told her straight away that it didn't mean anything. I told her I was sorry because I shouldn't have played with her feelings like that. I was a jerk. I fully admit that. And that is partly the reason I've started speaking to you this week. That kiss made me realise that I can't hide from my feelings. It was a mistake, but it was a mistake that brought me to you."

She didn't really know what to say. What could she say? She didn't know him well enough to know if he was lying or not. He looked sincere. He started speaking again.

"Look , I'm going to go now. I just wanted to explain to you. It wasn't a kiss. Well, it was… but it didn't mean anything. It was a kiss meant for you and I know that makes me a complete douche bag and I really am sorry. I'm also sorry for nagging at you this whole week for being a cheerleader. You are amazing Rachel. And no matter how stupid I was with Quinn, I'm kind of glad it pushed me to spend time with you. I'll let you think about things tonight and I'll see you at school tomorrow. If you decide you no longer want anything to do with me, then I will respect that. But just…. Either way, let me know. I'm sorry for everything."

He turned away from her and walked towards his car. She shut the door after he had driven out of view and went straight up to her room. Thoughts of Sam were in her head all night. What kind of a guy would kiss somebody just because they were too scared to admit they had a crush on somebody else? She couldn't figure out what he was all about.

The next morning as she got ready for school was weird for her. She folded her cheerios uniform up neatly and picked out a navy cardigan and white t-shirt, with a mustard coloured skirt, knee high socks and pumps. If she was no longer a cheerio, then she had to be herself. And this was who she really was. She left her hair loose , tumbling over her shoulders. It was a relief to have something other than the high pony for once.

When she pulled into the Mckinley high parking lot, she was stunned to see Sam waiting for her. She felt shy as she climbed out of the car , knowing that everyone was looking at her.

Sam stared open mouthed as she walked over to him.

"Wow. Rachel… you look…."

She blushed under his gaze.

"Dorkish? Out of place?"

He shook his head and reached out to touch her hair. He gently tucked it behind her ear and smiled at her.

"I was going to say beautiful."

She couldn't help but grin at his words. Her heart was racing at the way he had just touched her.

"Are you waiting for my answer?"

The smile on his face was replaced with anxiety. He nodded slowly and she took a deep breath.

"Here's the thing Sam…. You are confusing. I have never met anyone who has made me feel the way you do. One minute you make me feel like I'm dancing on clouds, but the next minute I feel angry and frustrated."

He sighed and took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry."

She squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"You don't have to keep apologizing. I just needed to explain the way you make me feel. And after spending all night thinking about it , I realised that you were probably telling the truth about the kiss with Quinn. I can tell you don't like her, which is why the kiss was so weird to me."

He nodded, and she couldn't fail to notice the hope on his face.

"So are you saying that you forgive me? That we can carry on with whatever we've got going? Because I feel like I haven't kissed you in forever and all I can think about is…."

"No Sam." She cut him off before he could say anymore. He frowned and let go of her hand.

"I'm sorry. I can't carry on with whatever this was. I am still trying to figure you out."

He shrugged sadly and looked down at his feet.

"There isn't really anything to figure out Rach. I'm an idiot who has clearly just screwed up whatever we had. Shit."

She put her hand on his arm gently and he looked at her in surprise. She plastered a smile on her face , trying to look and sound braver than what she felt.

"Just listen to me. I can't be with you until I can work you out. But it doesn't mean I don't want you in my life. The thought of acting like none of this ever happened is awful to me Sam. I would hate it. So… if you are willing, I want to be friends. You are a good guy. And we are in the Glee club together. It makes sense for us to just be normal around each other , don't you think?"

He sighed and took a step closer to her, cupping her cheek with one of his hands.

"What I think is that every minute of being friends with you is going to suck. Because I want you. I want you to be my girl. I want to be with you. But the thought of not speaking to you at all is way worse. So if you want to be just friends, then fine. We can be friends."

She felt like she was trembling all over, and she knew for a fact that her heart was racing. When he said he wanted her to be his girl, her belly somersaulted. She wanted to take the friends thing back, but she couldn't now. She knew it was for the best. Or did she? The way he was looking at her right now made her want to kiss him. She tried not to stare at his lips. Now she knew how good they felt against her own, it was hard to not imagine them. She smiled weakly, knowing that if she stayed here any longer, her resolve would weaken.

"Let's hug it out then 'friend'."

He smiled back and held his arms out. She stepped into them timidly, wrapping her arms around his middle, relishing how comfortable he was. When his grip tightened around her , she sighed contentedly and nuzzled into him. Could she really be just friends with him?

She shivered slightly as he bent down to whisper in her ear.

"This is torture. I can't just be your friend."

She closed her eyes and squeezed him even tighter, not wanting to let him go.

"You are so beautiful Rach."

His voice was soft and low as he murmured into her ear. She pulled away from him slightly, looking up into his dreamy eyes. His lips were just inches away from her own. She didn't know what to do. He was looking at her so intensely, and he looked so gorgeous that she nearly crumbled. Luckily for her, the school bell rang, making them jump apart.

He sadly smiled at her.

"I'll see you in Glee club then?"

She nodded in answer to his question. She didn't trust herself to talk. She didn't trust herself to do anything other than reach out and kiss him. She had to walk away before it was too late. After a while, she realised she needed to snap out of it and say something.

"Yeah. See you later Sam."

She felt his eyes on the back of her head as she hurried into the school.

Now she had finally made her choice, she was almost certain it wasn't the right one.

Being friends with Sam was going to be hard.


	8. Chapter 8

**Carry Me Home Tonight – 8**

Rachel spent that morning reliving what Sam had said to her. She knew being his friend was going to be hard, but she also knew she didn't fully trust him yet and that if she was ever going to date him properly, she needed to build that trust back up.

She spent lunchtime by herself under the tree. Sam was across the field with Artie. He was watching her the whole time. He wasn't even being subtle about it. She pretended to bury her head in a book and act like she didn't notice his staring.

She already felt self-conscious being out of her cheerios uniform. She had heard bitchy comments from people all day. But somehow, she knew that Sam wasn't staring at her because she was wearing something different. He looked pained. Anyone would think she had just broken up with him after a five year relationship the way he was moping around.

The afternoon was the same as the morning had been. Thoughts of Sam swirling around in her head all the time when she should have been concentrating on her work. Rachel knew as she headed for Glee club that things were going to be awkward. Sitting in a room with Quinn, Brittany and Santana when she had left the cheerios was going to be weird enough, and then there was the added drama with Sam. But she realised it was all her own doing. Yes, Sam had been the one to make her realise that she had never really been a cheerleader, but it was her own choice that had led her to who and where she was right now.

She took a deep breath and noticed to her horror that the choir room was already full. She must have been on a go slow as she made her way there, unable to get away from the thoughts inside her head. She hated the thought of walking in with everybody staring at her.

Sam looked at her as she walked in. Although her nerves were on edge at being so close to his handsome face, she steadied her breathing once more and greeted him. Mr Schu wasn't in the room yet.

"Hey Sam! How's it going?"

She had meant what she said earlier. She wanted to be his friend. It was hard making idle chit chat with him when all she really wanted to do was be wrapped up in his arms, but she was determined to follow her rule of friends only.

He didn't take his eyes off her as he weakly smiled.

"Good. How's it going for you?"

She nodded and looked down at the floor shyly. She was worried that if she carried on looking at him, he would be able to see straight through her. He would know that there was part of her that knew she had made a mistake in wanting to be just friends.

"It's going OK."

An uncomfortable silence settled between them . She saw an empty chair at the back of the choir room. She tried to put a smile on her face and looked at him once more.

"Well… I better uh…."

She pointed to the chair. She could see Quinn, Santana and Britt all laughing at her on the other side of the room. She knew everyone was watching them despite the fact the room were talking amongst themselves.

Sam sighed and it was at that moment that Rachel realised he wasn't going to make being just friends easy. It was already hard enough without this awkwardness. She felt angry at him again. He had the ability to toy with her emotions and she hated it.

He saw her glaring at him and for a moment, he looked guilty. Just for a moment. The look soon changed to resentment.

"Look Rachel, I'm going to try OK? It will take a while . I don't want to be just your friend. So you can quit looking at me like that and just…. Just give me time."

She shrugged, trying not to feel hurt, and made her way to the empty seat. It was only when she sat down she realised with alarm that she was sitting next to Puck.

Noah Puckerman, the jock who had given Quinn the pregnancy scare last year and slept his way through the school.

He grinned at her as she tried to rearrange her face so she didn't look so startled.

"Well hello Rachel. I'm not really sure if I totally dig your look today, but you are still hot. We should hook up."

Her cheeks flamed red as the whole choir room heard. Sam, who was sitting on the front row next to Artie, turned around and glared. But to Rachel's horror, he was looking at her, not Puck. It wasn't her fault that Puck hit on anything with a pulse. She also felt Quinn's eyes on her as she tried not to look so flustered.

"It's never going to happen. What are you doing here anyway Noah? Detention is down the hall."

Puck chuckled loudly and stretched, putting his arm around the back of her chair. She shifted forward, trying to ignore the fact Sam was still angrily watching them.

"That was funny for you Berry. For your information, I am a reformed character. Saint Sam Evans has shown every one the way, and now…. I'm here. In the Glee club. For good. So you should just get used to me and stop fighting this raw animal attraction we have for each other. "

Rachel frowned as Sam turned back to face the front of the classroom. The last thing the Glee club wanted was a jerk like Noah Puckerman. Nobody else looked thrilled he was here either. To the left of her in the row in front, Kurt and Blaine were talking to each other quietly, clutching hands. As usual, she was consumed with guilt whenever she saw her former best friend.

She reached forward and tapped Kurt gently on the shoulder. he spun around in surprise, and when he realised it was her, his face set in anger and he turned back, ignoring her. She sighed and leant forward until she was level with his ear.

"I'm so sorry I ditched you Kurt. You can't hate me as much as I will always hate myself for ditching the best person I have ever had in my life. I love you, I miss you…. and I really hope that one day, we can talk again."

Kurt didn't have time to respond as Mr Schu walked in , clapping his hands loudly to get everyone's attention. To her surprise , Blaine turned around and smiled at her kindly. She smiled back, and couldn't help feeling happy that Kurt had found himself somebody so decent. He deserved somebody who would do anything for him, and from what she had witnessed so far from the way Blaine was with him, she knew he had found that person.

After Mr Schu had gotten over his surprise at Puck now being in Glee club, he invited him up to the front to sing. Puck grinned and made Rachel gasp as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the front with him. She stood there bewildered as he fetched his guitar and turned to Mr Schu.

"I've not really done this before so I was hoping Rachel could sing with me."

Mr Schu nodded and walked over to an empty chair, sitting down to watch. Rachel shook her head.

"No….. why me? Why do I have to do it?"

To her surprise, Mr Schu was angry as he answered her.

"That isn't exactly the Glee club spirit I was hoping for Rachel. We have all had to perform up there and we all know how nerve wracking it can be. Noah is completely out of his comfort zone and he just wants you to help him out. Come on, we've only just got you back, you need to get involved again."

Rachel sighed and looked at Puck who was half smiling, half pleading with her. She rolled her eyes and muttered fine. Puck started playing Lady Antebellum's Need You Now which made her relax slightly. She loved this song.

She knew Sam was watching her every move as she sang with Puck. Every time Puck would get to close to her or smile during the song, she and everyone else would hear a massive sigh coming from Sam. She wished he would cut it out, it was very off putting. It was no good him being jealous of this, she had no interest in Puck at all.

They finished the song and everybody apart from Quinn and Sam gave them a huge applause. Puck's voice had pleasantly surprised not only Rachel, but everybody else too. He might be a jerk, but if he could sing, then it didn't matter.

They spent the rest of the session going over sheet music and a basic dance routine, and all too soon, it was over. She was disappointed the lesson was over so quick, now she was back in Glee club, she found she didn't want it to end. She had missed it so much, and as cheesy as it sounded, it felt like a part of her was home.

She gasped as Puck wrapped his arms around her in a strong hug.

"See you next time Rachel. Today was fun. I'm going to make it my mission to get you to go out with me."

She laughed out loud as she pushed him away.

"Good luck with that Noah. Remind me to pick another seat next time."

His grin didn't falter as he shrugged and walked out. She shook her head as she got her things together. Nothing ever fazed people like that. She wished she could have the 'I don't care' attitude. It would be nice to get away from her feelings sometimes.

She hitched her bag over her shoulder and realised Quinn. Santana and Brittany were stood in front of her.

"First, you ditch cheerios. Now you are hitting on Puck?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow, worried in case Quinn had lost her marbles. She shook her head, feeling slightly amused by the whole thing.

"In what world did I hit on Puck?"

Quinn scowled. Even when scowling, she was still remarkably beautiful.

"Quit the sarcasm Berry. We tolerated you before because you were on the cheerios, but now you aren't…. we are no longer friends. I might not be with Puck anymore, but you can never go with one of my ex boyfriends. It's girl code. Do you understand that?"

Rachel did actually laugh now, unable to help herself.

"Wow. If I can't go with any of your ex boyfriends then that really doesn't leave me a whole lot of choice at this school. Is there anyone you haven't dated?"

Quinn's mouth fell open in shock, and before any of the girls could say anything, Rachel walked away through the corridors and out into the parking lot. She froze as she spotted Sam leaning against her car.

Her heart was thudding as she walked up to him. He watched her with every step she took. She was determined to keep her eyes locked on his as she made her way to him, she didn't want him to realise the depth in which he affected her.

"I hate to tell you this, but this isn't your car."

She smiled as she spoke, trying to inject some fun into the situation. It was her who suggested they be friends, so she knew she better work on it.

He smiled back slightly, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Thanks for the information. I kind of knew that already."

Rachel rolled her eyes. It was obvious he wasn't in the mood for playing along.

"I know that you knew it already Sam… I was just trying to….."

She trailed off, her breathing faster now he had stood up straight, towering over her. His eyes still hadn't left hers. And she was determined not to be the first one to back away.

"Just trying to what, Rach?"

She shrugged, and to her frustration, looked down at the ground. She couldn't look at him anymore. It hurt her.

"I was just trying to make whatever this is between us normal you know? I was trying to make conversation."

He chuckled softly, making her look up at him again. She loved it when he smiled and laughed, it lit his whole face up.

"Normal. Right. None of this is normal."

His voice sounded unexpectedly cold.

She frowned, her fingers digging into her palms. She felt fidgety, she didn't really know what to say or how to act around him now. She knew that he saw as her eyes drifted to his lips for a second. She couldn't help it. Nothing had ever felt so good as when he kissed her. She was about to push past him to get in her car, when he spoke again.

"It's been a day. We made it a whole school day with just being friends. How is it all working out for you?"

Her hand stopped on the car door handle as she gazed up at him.

"It's…. it's fine. It's working out just fine."

She knew her voice didn't quite match her words. She wasn't exactly convincing.

Her breath caught as he reached forward and brushed her hair away from her face, then gently placed his hand on her cheek.

"Oh come on. You are such a bad liar. You hate it. You hate it as much as I do. If we can't even get through a day then that should tell us something."

She sighed and pushed his hand away from her face, opening her car door with the other hand.

"You haven't exactly made things easy for me today Sam. Things are awkward and you damn well know it. You need to try more."

He shrugged now and folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't want to try at being your friend. I mean… I will, because it's what you want. But I want you. And I think you want me. Judging by your reaction today…. I know you want me. What the hell is the point in making ourselves miserable? Yes, I screwed up, but if you just give me a chance then you will see that I can make things right."

She knew he was right. She was miserable at the thought of not being able to touch him. At just pretending like there was nothing between them. But she also knew that she had broken things off for a reason. The fact that she always felt so up and down with him wasn't a good thing.

"Just give me a chance Rach. If you do, I promise that you will never have to give me another one. Because I will never ruin whatever this is again. I mean it."

The way he was looking at her right now sent her heart into overdrive. She knew he meant it. She knew he meant every single word of what he had just said.

Which is why it was so hard for her to turn away, get in her car and drive off without looking back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Carry Me Home Tonight – Chapter 9**

The weekend went by in a blur for Rachel. Despite the fact she had told Sam that they were friends and friends only, she still couldn't help feeling disappointed when he didn't call or text her once over the weekend. She felt like she was missing him, which was pretty stupid considering they weren't and had never been a proper couple. In fact, by the time she got ready for school Monday morning, she was considering calling the whole friends thing off and running into his arms.

After turning her wardrobe inside out, she decided on a white summer dress with a yellow cardigan. She left her hair down with a pretty white headband and set off for school, butterflies in her stomach at the thought of seeing Sam again. She wondered how he was going to act with her today? She hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of the last school day where everything seemed awkward and hostile.

She was just grabbing books out of her locker when she jumped as somebody tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around wondering if it was Sam, but when she saw who it was, tears sprang to her eyes.

Kurt Hummel was standing there, smiling at her with his arms outstretched for a hug. She basically leapt at him and squeezed him so hard he had to tell her to ease up. He was laughing as she looked at him in wonder. She thought she had lost him forever. She was a bitch to him.

"Kurt… I …. I ….. you have to know how sorry I am and how much I've missed….."

Before she could finish what she was saying, he interrupted.

"Stop. I know OK ? Now let's never talk of it again. Being with Blaine is….. well, he just makes me so happy and I've learnt that you have to be happy in this life. And as much as it did hurt when you ditched me for a bunch of bitchy cheerleaders, I know that I want you back in my life. And that is more important than staying mad at you."

Rachel was certain she was going to cry. The thought of having Kurt back as her friend, maybe even a best friend just seemed too good to be true.

"I've missed you so bad. You are like an actual piece of me Kurt. You are the only one who gets my love for Barbra and Broadway and I have pushed all those interests to the side just to try and fit in. I will be here for you from now on, I promise."

Kurt smiled and offered her his arm as they began to make their way to classes.

"So Miss Berry, I have found my prince charming since we have been parted, and it is time to find yours. It hasn't escaped my notice that there is a little somethin somethin' going on with you and Sam Evans."

Rachel sighed as she held on to Kurt's arm. It was like they had never been apart, it felt so normal walking through the school with him. He knew everything about her and she knew everything about him.

"Forget about it. There was something going on, but not anymore."

Her voice sounded sad as she spoke and Kurt raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Right. That was convincing. Everyone in the Glee club knows that you two have a thing Rachel. I'm sure whatever it is that has derailed you from the thing can be fixed. You would actually make quite a cute couple."

Despite everything , she smiled as she looked at her friend.

"He is dreamy isn't he? But no. Things aren't going to happen. Not yet anyway."

Kurt rolled his eyes as they reached his classroom, Rachel's was down the next corridor.

"Listen, You have to be happy. If Sam makes you happy then what the hell is the point in fighting it? Ask him to the Sadie Hawkins dance."

Rachel stared at him in puzzlement.

"The what?"

Kurt chuckled and rolled his eyes again.

"Honestly Rachel, what world do you live in? Everybody is talking about it. Next week the Sadie Hawkins dance is happening. All the girls have to ask a guy out because usually at all the other dances, the guys ask the girls. It's fun. We have Glee club tonight, ask him there. The way he keeps looking at you, he will say yes. For sure. Catch you later."

She watched as Kurt disappeared into his classroom, before making her way to hers. All through her morning lessons she was thinking of what Kurt had said. She couldn't ask Sam to the dance, could she? She was the one who had said they would be better off as friends, it would confuse them both if they went to the dance together. Deep down though, she knew they were more than friends. Kurt was right, why choose to be miserable when you can be happy? So the whole Sam kissing Quinn thing had hurt , but he had made it clear just how sorry he was so surely she could forgive him and pretend like it never happened. He was constantly on her mind and she at least owed it to him to try and sort things out.

As she was making her way to lunch, she saw Sam walking down the corridors with a guy from the football team. She smiled and said hello. He said hi back but it wasn't friendly. She was sad watching him walk away , and she knew in that moment that she would ask him to the dance in Glee club. She had to, she couldn't stand to be like this with him any longer.

She was giddy with happiness when Blaine and Kurt found her at her locker, each linked her arms and insisted she join them for lunch. It was better than sitting alone now she was out of the cheerios. The three of them sat under the tree Rachel had spent all last weeks lunches with as they ate their food. She got to know things about Blaine and decided that he was perfect for Kurt. She smiled as they both chattered away about how they met and the look in Blaine's eyes as he told Rachel how much he loved Kurt almost hurt her. Would she ever know a love like that? She hoped so.

She spent the afternoon happy about how lunch had turned out. Kurt was back in her life. She even pinched herself to make sure it was real. Kurt Hummel had such a big heart, she knew if it was the other way round, she would struggle to forgive.

By the time she made her way to Glee club, the happiness from lunch had turned into nerves at the thought of asking Sam to the dance. When she walked into the choir room, everybody was already there, including Mr Schue. She wondered why on earth she was always the last one in the class, it didn't make any sense to her.

She wanted to sit near Sam of course, but he had Artie on one side and Tina on the other. She certainly wasn't going to sit near the cheerleaders and Kurt and Blaine were also closed in. She groaned as she realised the only seat free in the room was the one next to Puck again.

Sam didn't even look at her as she made her way to the back of the classroom. She tried not to be hurt by it. She knew that by the end of Glee club they would be on speaking terms again.

Puck grinned at her as she sat beside him.

"You just couldn't stay away from the Puckerman could you?"

She scowled and looked at him in distaste.

"Keep dreaming Noah."

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"I like a challenge. I'm looking forward to pursuing you. I usually get what I want and pretty soon, you are going to be putty in my hands. Chicks dig me."

Rachel shook her head as Sam turned around. He threw them a filthy look and before Rachel could respond, Mr Schue started talking. He didn't get very far though, as Tina raised her hand and stood up.

"Sorry to interrupt sir, but us girls all have something important we need to do." She turned to face the class and Rachel sat forward in her chair to listen properly.

"As everybody knows, it's the Sadie Hawkins dance next week and if you haven't asked your guy yet, you haven't got long left. I have been waiting, in the hope that nobody else would ask who I was planning to ask."

Rachel narrowed her eyes as Tina threw a look at her.

"Seeing as the guy I want to take to the dance is still free, I thought I might as well ask now."

Tina glanced at Sam and Rachel's heart dropped. She couldn't mean Sam, she just…. She couldn't. Mr Schue smiled and gestured for Tina to carry on.

Tina took a deep breath and stepped towards Sam. She reached out for his hands and pulled him up to the front of the choir room. Sam looked baffled by the whole proceedings. He ran a hand through his hair and Rachel couldn't help thinking how sexy he looked every time he done it.

"Sam, I think you are a really sweet guy. You are different to everyone else at this school and you seem to care about people. It helps that you are hot too."

Sam's cheeks went pink as the choir room giggled. Rachel was the only one who wasn't smiling. She was horrified.

"So , I can't believe I am doing this but uh…. Will you go to the dance with me?"

Rachel sunk back in her chair, unable to believe what was happening. Was Tina really asking Sam out? Obviously he wouldn't agree, he had told her before that he didn't fancy anyone at the school, but it was still horrible to watch. And it also screwed her own plans up, she could hardly ask Sam to the dance just after he humiliates Tina, it wouldn't be nice. She would have to ask him some other time. Tomorrow maybe.

Sam ran a hand through his hair again as the eyes of the choir room were on him and Tina. Tina was still holding his hands , her cheeks were now pink as well. It felt like a lifetime ticking by when in reality it was only a few seconds. Rachel watched as Sam glanced at her, something flashed through his eyes that she couldn't quite make out. She was just about to jump up and tell him to say no, when Puck leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Wow. This is embarrassing. I feel bad for Tina."

Rachel couldn't help but feel the same. She realised a little too late that Puck had wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he whispered to her . She shrugged him off, but Sam had already seen. He turned to Tina, and to Rachel's horror, smiled and squeezed her hands back.

"Sure I will. It will be fun."

Rachel felt sick as the room erupted in cheers. Tina started jumping up and down, her hand covering her mouth in surprise.

"You mean it? Is that a yes?"

Sam looked at Rachel once more before hugging Tina.

"Yes. Thanks for asking me."

Rachel had to stare at her shaking hands. She couldn't watch the scene in front of her anymore, it was like some awful dream. Luckily, Mr Schue was telling everyone to quieten down.

"Right , before I attempt to carry on with the lesson today , are there any other girls who want to ask a guy to the dance? Say now because I won't allow you to do it again today."

Before she even knew what she was doing, Rachel stood up and made her way to the front of the class. She knew everyone was staring at her as she walked past the seats, but she didn't care. When she faced the crowd, Kurt cleared his throat.

"Uh… Rachel sweetie, you can't ask somebody who already has a date. Sam just agreed to go with Tina."

Blaine nodded while Sam suddenly found his shoes very interesting. He obviously couldn't meet her eyes. Rachel smiled at Kurt politely.

"I know. I wasn't going to ask Sam. I hope he has a great night with Tina."

This made Sam look up. He was frowning at her now, and Rachel had to look away. She fixed her eyes on Puck.

"Noah, will you go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with me?"

Rachel heard audible gasps throughout the room, the loudest being Quinn. She tried to block out everyone but Noah , who looked so surprised that his jaw was nearly on the floor. He stumbled as he stood up, and made his way to the front of the classroom.

"You're asking me to the dance with you?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, and ever so gently, laid a hand on Noah's bicep. She heard Sam grunt in annoyance but she didn't look at him.

"Is there anyone else in the room called Noah? Yes, I am asking you to the dance. So what do you say?"

Noah grinned as Kurt stood up.

"Rachel honey, I think that is a bad idea."

The cheerleaders nodded.

"Yes. It's a really bad idea Berry. I would reconsider."

Rachel ignored Quinn's threatening voice and tried to focus solely on Noah, which was hard to do with everyone in the room still reacting to the shock ask. She could see Sam shaking his head out of the corner of her eye.

"Kurt's right Rachel, come on. You can do better. He's a jerk who has slept with nearly every girl in the school. Why don't you come along with Kurt and I, we will both be your dates."

She smiled at Blaine, touched that he would offer, but shook her head all the same.

"Thanks, but it's Noah I asked, so I will wait for his answer. Which I hope he gives me soon because I am dying of humiliation here."

There were a few scattered laughs in the room . Rachel jumped as Noah wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground.

"Of course I will. I told you, everyone falls for the Puckerman sooner or later. You won't regret it."

Sam scoffed behind them as Mr Schue told them all to sit down. They went back to their seats and didn't have time to talk for the rest of the session as Mr Schue had them all learning a difficult dance routine.

As the lesson ended, Noah slapped Rachel on the ass, hard.

"See you soon hot stuff."

She winced at the sting as he walked out with the rest of the group. She should have known that Sam would be the one to stay behind, his bag slung over his right shoulder while he stared at her disapprovingly.

"He is such a charmer. No wonder you asked him to the dance with you."

Rachel shook her head as she got her bag and made her way to where Sam was.

She kept eye contact with him even though it was killing her to see him looking at her with such disgust.

"I had no choice. You decided to go with someone else."

Sam shook his head and looked at the floor.

"Like you care. It's not as if you were going to ask me yourself."

Rachel sighed and all of a sudden felt tears at the back of her eyes. When she didn't answer him, he looked up from the floor, his mouth open in shock.

"Rach... you weren't going to ask me? Please say you weren't going to ask me?"

She shrugged and sighed sadly.

"It doesn't matter does it? You are going with another girl. Just…. Just forget it."

She went to open the choir room door but Sam put his hand against it, preventing her from leaving.

"You said we were just friends. If I thought for one second you were going to ask me I would have never….. I have to tell Tina I can't go."

Rachel shook her head, and it took all her strength to reach out for his hand. She squeezed it gently and plastered a fake smile on her face even though she felt anything but happy.

Now she was this close to him and touching, she wanted so badly to just kiss him.

"You are going with Tina and that is that. She bravely asked you in front of the class, It would be cruel if you let her down now."

He stepped closer to her, their bodies almost touching.

"But I want to go with you. I want to be with you. This just friends thing is crap and you know it."

All the butterflies in her stomach woke up as he stared at her with such an intensity that it made her knees weak.

"But you said yes to Tina. So that is that."

Sam shook his head, his eyes wide, and gripped her hand tighter, not in an unpleasant way.

"I was going to say no. And then I saw you and Puck all over each other and it just made me mad so I stupidly said yes. I mean, Tina's a nice girl but…. She's not you."

Rachel let go of Sam's hand, unable to hide the scowl on her face.

"All over each other? He whispered in my ear Sam. That's it. I have to deal with the fact you kissed Quinn and dated a cheerleader at another school , but you can't even handle a guy saying something to me?"

Sam tried to hold her hand again, but she dodged away. He groaned in frustration at the way the conversation was going.

"Don't do this. Don't go to the dance with Puck. You are worth a million of him."

She shrugged and opened the door, this time successfully.

"Look Sam, if things are meant to be then they find a way. We haven't found a way for us yet so maybe we need to re-evaluate what we actually are to each other. Maybe it will be good to see other people."

She started to walk away but Sam grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around to him so she was staring into those pained eyes again.

"You know we are meant to be. You are just scared which is why you keep trying to sabotage us at every turn. Just let me be with you. I really like you Rachel."

He leant in and ever so gently, traced a finger down her cheek. Her heart was racing as he edged towards her. Just as their lips touched, she backed away and shook her head, looking at him sadly.

"I can't."

He looked crestfallen as she turned away from him and ran down the corridor to the parking lot.

She got into her car and drove home on autopilot . It was only when she got back to her house and shut the bedroom door behind her that she realised she had already fallen pretty deep for Sam.

And she didn't know what to do about it.

Sam was right. She was scared.


End file.
